On A Dark Path, He Walks
by Touda
Summary: Ichimaru Gin pines for his lost fukutaichou and decides he can't live without him. Why does his trip to Seireitei to bring the boy back cause Aizen so much trouble? What do Byakuya, Renji and Ukitake have to do with it? Yaoi, AU, Death
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM! In reality, _they_ seem to own _me_. I've woken up countless nights from rather erotic dreams, only to find Aizen-taichou and his Espada army standing there watching me. It's an illness that needs serious medical attention but I'm unable to find any. Try discussing possible sexual hallucinations with your doctor and see where it gets you.

Warnings: Mansecks, adult language, blood and other gory goodness, creepiness of the Third Division variety, possibly disturbing. Come on, it's the Third Division. There's gonna be naughtiness and general depraved behaviour. They're not thugs like the Eleventh Squad, but they're just as sexually charged. Ichimaru/Aizen, Ichimaru/Kira, Kira/Renji, mentions of Renji/Byakuya and one other, possibly crack pairing that's yet to be revealed.

Notes: This fic will be multi-chaptered, beware. After much consideration, I've decided that it needs to be broken up into smaller chapters instead of one enormous fic. I've been dabbling in the world of Bleach for only a short time and during that time, the Third Squad has slowly crept its way into my heart. Ichimaru Gin's sickening sweetness and utter depravity, and Kira Izuru's frightening degree of loyalty, despite his underlying fear of the snake-like taichou. I've included Aizen Sousuke in the main pairings, mainly because it's post-Soul Society arc and his involvement with Gin in the past intrigues me. Plus, Aizen's so delightfully fucked up, he reminds me of me. -snerk-

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Ichimaru Gin was jealous.

Less than a month in Hueco Mundo and already the tediousness and irritating situations dragged on his nerves. The everlasting brightness, white light and white...everything else boring his forever smiling eyes. He needed colour, something besides the varying shades of grey he woke up to each morning. The uniform of the Espada, the white haori to wear over his already dark shinigami clothing doing nothing to lighten his mood.

Even the small suggestion he let slip to his former captain went unanswered. What exactly was wrong with red uniforms? Or at least a red haori over the black yukata? Red was such a lovely colour, he had whispered to the brown haired taichou, the colour of blood. And strawberries.

The soft spoken perfectionist had only chuckled quietly and rolled over onto the younger shinigami, bruising Gin's flesh within the grip of his large hands and deft fingers, harshly breathing against the other's ear as he claimed him for a third time that night, intent on driving himself into a more complete state of relaxation, the utter bliss that came from a long but well deserved and satisfying night of lovemaking.

Though in reality, the elder man pondered, it was hardly making love, the acts committed between himself and his former vice-captain. They were more of a violent meetings of souls, a vicious circle of demands and sacrifices, usually ending with the silver haired shinigami in a sated heap, snoozing in a soiled mess of sheets and his own precious bodily fluids.

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The eternally cheerful Third Division taichou wandered the halls of Aizen's palace within the land of the Hollows, idly nodding to the various Arrancar that inhabited the same residence, smiling as politely as he always had, only losing said happy visage while approaching the furthest room in the long corridor, his self-imposed nemesis hiding behind it, no doubt still wallowing away mentally, taking in his new surroundings and newly constructed form. Arrancar were such odd things, Ichimaru mused, curious about them and yet oddly loathing of their entire existence.

He lifted his right hand and rapped loudly on the wooden frame of the sliding door, waiting somewhat patiently for a reply and upon hearing the quiet acquiescence, slid the barrier aside and stepped into the immaculately furnished room, immediately spying the young Espada member as the boy had risen to greet his visitor.

"Ichimaru-sama."

It was a formality the silver haired taichou would have normally told the other to forget, but considering that it was the young Arrancar and not a welcome friend, he chose to accept it, wanting the other to feel as if he were still a higher being than himself, even if he was still allowed to speak down to the dark haired creation, as if he were a child and not a powerful force in Aizen's illicit army.

"Ohayo, Ulquiorra-kun. Sousuke wants to see you. He's got information for you about...something or other. Don't keep him waiting."

It irritated the ever-vigilant and loyal Arrancar, the way Ichimaru spoke so informally about their lord, his instructions always in varying degrees of mistake. Certainly the shinigami-turned-comrade hadn't given his closest subordinate such vague directions?

"Hai, I will go right away, Ichimaru-sama."

The larger man grinned more broadly than before, stretching his lower face impossibly before leaning forward and patting the young creation on the uncovered side of his head, a gesture normally left for animals or small children. It was just another reason for the green eyed boy to hate his lord's favourite being. he may have only been 'alive' for the last two weeks, but that did not automatically classify him as a child. While realistically, Ulquiorra hadn't been a child for decades.

"That's a good boy. I'll be waiting with him so don't dawdle now!"

The usual flurry of activity that followed the snake-like shinigami was absent but Ulquiorra still felt as if he had been under intense scrutiny while in the elder man's presence, as if he was being analyzed and tested on his ability to adapt or adjust to the other's oddly creepy demeanor. Sighing, he donned his zanpakutou and left his rooms, stalking the hall towards Aizen's throne room, the light around the cracks of the sliding door already giving him an idea of what the man's mood would be like, the brightly shining rays varying in their brightness and dimness, as if they were breathing instead of simply shining.

The doors slid open automatically, chimed in with his personal makeup, allowing the regal former captain his privacy unless one of his most trusted subordinates came to see him. The helmeted Arrancar obediently dropped to his knees and gave the other man the respect he was due, keeping his head down and face hidden, hiding the scowl he felt cross his delicate features as he caught a glimpse of his summoner, the young taichou draped over Aizen's lap and curling a hand in the man's flimsy bangs. Their displays of affection had become more pronounced the more Ulquiorra had paid attention to them and it ultimately sickened him to see them thus inclined.

"Ulquiorra."

The boy lifted his head and deadpanned a sterile look, his strong face, the sickeningly sweet Gin had said once.

"Hai, Aizen-dono. You called for me?"

"I've received word that the new Arrancar that I've created are ready to be trained. Do I have your cooperation in this endeavor?"

The stoic male nodded and bowed his head again, signaling his allegiance before daring to look up a second time. "Of course, Aizen-dono. Anything you desire."

The eldest of the leaders raised a hand and waved the boy away, waiting patiently as he backed out and through a flourish of white fabric and the light slam of the large doors, left. Ichimaru was unable to suppress a giggle and earned himself a light glare from the Fifth Division captain.

"What has tickled your fancy this morning, Gin? Certainly nothing Ulquiorra has done. He behaved as he should have, to the letter."

The younger shinigami sighed out loud and moved to sit up, more comfortable straddling the larger man's lap than lying draped across the man's legs and the uncomfortable arms of the great throne.

"Maa, that's why I'm laughing, Sousuke. He's so formal. He even called me Ichimaru-sama in his quarters."

Aizen smiled warmly before winding both arms around the smaller form, holding him tightly against himself as he claimed his lover's lips, dragging a whined moan from him, his teeth worrying Ichimaru's lower lip as delicately boned fingers clutched at the material over Sousuke's shoulders. The Hueco Mundo overlord loved how easy it was to garner a reaction from his former fukutaichou, each whimper and pained moan slipping from him eagerly eaten up as they alone sustained the formerly bespectacled leader.

He pulled away only when he was satisfied that Ichimaru had been thoroughly lashed by his skilled tongue, lapping lightly at the now swollen lips each time the younger man started to speak again.

"Ichimaru-sama is your title to him, as well as the others in my army, Gin. No matter how close they become to you. I want them to believe in our strength. No familiarity. Familiarity breeds contempt, or so the mortal saying goes."

"Mmm, contempt I've already had to deal with. I'm not very well liked around here."

This little realization had the elder man staring slightly, his left hand idly running through Ichimaru's hair, the other's soft purrs belying his feeling of being hated within the Hollow world.

"What do you mean, Gin? No one has tried anything against you, have they? They're not insolent enough to even think it."

"Not exactly. It's a feeling, that's all. Just a hunch." The smaller man nuzzled into the hand that had stopped petting him and whined softly, more like a pet to the grand taichou than a lover. "The Arrancar trust and fear you. Even Kana-chan seems to strike more fear into their nonexistent hearts than I do."

The Fifth Squad captain chuckled softly and went back to petting the other, amused with his childish antics, the use of Tousen Kaname's name in such a way making him smile warmly. If the blind shinigami had heard him though, an argument would have certainly ensued. He was formal to a nearly anal degree and secretly loathed Ichimaru, a hatred barely contained when he was in the company of his comrades.

"Ah, sou ka. Well there's nothing to fear from me, Gin. You know that well enough."

A quiet chirrup of agreement before a noisy shuffling of heavy material. "Hai!"

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"Kira, how many times are ya gonna stare at that thing before it starts to stare back?" Abarai Renji asked loudly, his voice echoing slightly in the dark recesses of the Third Division headquarters, the squad's fukutaichou kneeling in front of his desk, using his own instead of Ichimaru's for fear of mussing anything. "It's a fuckin' wall, not a mirror."

The slighted blond turned his head slightly and peered at his childhood friend with something akin to pain, his already sad looking eyes seeming even more so as Renji felt a familiar stab of sorrow etch its place onto his heart. He always seemed to say the wrong thing at his the wrong moment.

"Ah, gomen. I didn't mean to sound so harsh."

"It's alright, Renji-kun. I was about to go for lunch anyway. Would you like to come with me?"

The redhead stepped over and offered his hand so the smaller boy could lift himself more easily, tugging too hard on purpose and catching him against his chest, laughing out loud as the friendly little trick had seemed to catch the boy off guard ever since their academy days.

"Sure. I'm starvin' anyway. Kuchiki-taichou's an ogre to work for on Thursdays. I think I'll be dreamin' of paperwork tonight."

The young Third Division fukutaichou smiled adorably and started off towards the commissary, choosing to remain within the headquarters instead of leaving to go out into Rukongai, his slightly higher upbringing forcing him to stay where he felt the most comfortable. Plus, he had found it quite hard to adapt to strangers surrounding him ever since his captain left. He felt...isolated. Exposed.

To Renji, his friend seemed more withdrawn but oddly enough, more talkative. He had brought it up once and through watering eyes the blond had told the Sixth Division vice-captain that it was his way of keeping the silence away. He was so used to having long conversations with Ichimaru-taichou that the absolute quiet irked at him terribly. Even though he said little and managed to listen mostly. Renji had nodded and pulled the slowly cracking boy into his lap, holding him close until the sobs had passed, something Izuru was thankful for, and which the redhead didn't seem to mind. They were friends after all.

After gathering their meals and going back outside to eat, the boys settled against a large tree, a habit from ages ago and broke into the neatly made but basic obento boxes, eagerly munching away amidst a friendly silence. This, Izuru found, he could tolerate. He wasn't alone and it wasn't technically quiet. The gentle clacking of Renji's hashi each time he missed a morsel of food was soothing to the high spirited but shy shinigami, the heavy nose-breathing of the larger man making him feel more relaxed than usual. It was true he valued the other's presence but because of his captain's betrayal, he found that confiding completely and admiring someone else again, hurt far too much to even consider.

"Naa, Renji-kun?"

"Hmm?"

Chopsticks clicked almost annoyingly against the side of Kira's box, a nervous habit if ever Renji saw one. "Do you think he's ever gon-"

"Don't ask it, Kira. I don't wanna have to answer it. Kuchiki-taichou says no, but I don't really know myself."

The younger man, wide-eyed and nearly in tears again, nodded and stopped his nervous twitching, going back to finishing what little lunch remained, neatly tucking everything away when he was finished and leaning his head back against the tree's trunk, sighing out loud and curling his knees to his chest.

"I think he will. I don't want to say I know he will, but he might. I mean, he left everything behind. Fourth Squad's been cleaning his rooms each week like Genryuusai-dono asked. It's probably just for appearances but when I go in there sometimes at night-"

The pony tailed shinigami turned his head to glare at the younger man, receiving a painfully upset look and swallowing before speaking, his voice low and his eyes giving no hint of the friendly man he was less than a few minutes ago.

"You don't still sleep in there do ya? I thought we talked about that and you were gonna sleep in your own room from now on? I know you two were...you know, but it doesn't mean you still have to sleep in his bed."

"I know. I just can't seem to fall asleep in my bed. It's comfortable and all, but it's still missing something."

Renji sighed and nodded, as if knowing what the boy meant, slipping back into his friendly-enough-to-forgo-formalities attitude.

"It's his smell. I notice it right away when I've been sleepin' in Byakuya's bed for a long time and then have to go back to my own place."

Wabisuke's master nodded absentmindedly, realizing for the first time that yes, Renji seemed to be right on the money about his strange problem. It was true that he undressed in the dark and climbed into Ichimaru's bed, tugging the covers around himself and burying his nose in them, enjoying the distinct musk that was his lover. Even after being freshly washed, he still noticed it, even more so if it was hot in the room and he was sweating. The moisture must release more of the hidden scent and some nights, Kira found himself working hard to put his body into a frenzy, making himself sweat through simple movements, or on occasion, more sexual ministrations.

"Yeah, that makes sense, Renji-kun. Arigato."

"No prob. Now, should we head back in case the captains come lookin' for us? My lunch's only so long and Byakuya's kinda anal about me bein' late."

This time Kira stood first and offered his hand, a gesture Renji found to be absolutely endearing, given the difference in their sizes. He took the proffered appendage and pulled hard to lift himself, rewarding them both with a shouted curse and a squeal from the blond as they both ended up on the ground, Kira draped over Renji as if using him as a mat to land on, the redhead's eyes closed as he grimaced.

"Itai, Kira! Pull back next time! Ya could've broken somethin'!"

Giggling, the younger shinigami stood back up and brushed off his clothes, again offering the hand and successfully using it as Renji came to his feet, grinning broadly.

"Atta boy! Just like that. Ne, should I meet you here after work tonight, or do you already have plans?"

The somewhat shorter haired man blushed and shook his head, lightly fingering the hilt of his zanpakutou. "Iie, I don't have any plans, Renji-kun. Once Genryuusai-dono comes to inspect the office, I can leave. He's leaving everything up to the vice-captains in each...abandoned division so it's just a check up on how we're doing. It'll be around five, is that alright?"

The Sixth Squad fukutaichou didn't miss the hesitation in Kira's voice when he mentioned that the divisions had been abandoned but he grinned widely anyway and nodded his head, off in a flash after punching the blond in the arm quite hard, his laughter carrying on the breeze as Izuru shook his head and walked back towards the foreboding Third Division building.

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From his vantage point just inside the doorway to his own rooms, Ichimaru watched the high-ranking Espada as they exited his lover's throne room, waiting patiently for them to go by, each with a smirk that indicated they had been given orders, his smile set in place as Grimmjow passed by and veritably hissed at the silver haired shinigami, earning himself a chuckle and a shake of the immortal's head.

Once the line had finished, the hall was empty again and Ichimaru made his way to the elder man's rooms, nearly skipping with glee and not even bothering to knock as he pushed the doors aside and approached the brunet. He was smiling in the way Gin loved best, his arms open and welcoming.

"Did they get orders to go to Soul Society?" He asked, while again climbing onto the elder man's lap, winding his arms around Aizen's shoulders and planting a firm kiss to the man's lips.

The overlord eagerly kissed back and firmly cupped Ichimaru's ass, squeezing the soft but deliciously pert cheeks. "The living realm. Their orders are to capture Kurosaki Ichigo and that girl he constantly has with him. The healer."

"Ah, sou. I suppose we won't be going back to Seireitei any time soon then, hmm?"

The elder man stared for a moment before pressing the lightest of kisses to Ichimaru's forehead, brushing his bangs away with one hand to proper land it on the smooth skin.

"Do you miss him so much, Gin? He was only a toy. I've made you new ones. Don't let them go to waste."

The smile nearly faded from the silver haired taichou's face but he perked up regardless, wriggling his hips and making a general whore of himself, moaning softly as he rubbed his groin against that of his brilliant lover.

"Naa, Sousuke. Can we play?"

He enjoyed the slight curl of Aizen's upper lip as he felt the man start to become aroused, his eyes falling closed as Ichimaru dipped his head and nibbled his neck softly, quickly turning the light nips into vicious bites.

The former Fifth Division captain would have none of it however, his large hands gripping Gin's upper arms as he stood and fairly dragged him into the secondary set of rooms, violently tossing him to the bed and undressing as he stalked over, scowling at the younger male as he watched him disrobe as well. Exceedingly lovely. The only words to describe Ichimaru Gin's beauty. Aizen was pleased with himself for choosing such a suitable partner for himself.

On all fours now, the younger shinigami looked back over his right shoulder, leveling a seductive little look upon the larger, more built immortal. His former taichou was the epitome of virility. All muscled leg and torso, the lightest smattering of soft hairs across his chest and on the lowest point of his belly, leading to a thick but neatly trimmed patch that circled his cock and dusted his testicles. Ichimaru wriggled his hips, parting his legs a bit more and lowering his chest to the mattress, the large, Western-style bed creaking lightly as he moved.

Their coupling was hardly ever polite and never kind, but they both savoured it, craved it. The delightful curve of Gin's behind tempting the elder man as it always had, his tiny pucker twitching as his arousal became apparent, the warm erection pulsing powerfully as it hung just against his belly, firm and expectant of release.

With a growl that certainly didn't match his calm and formal appearance, Aizen crawled up to kneel between Ichimaru's parted legs, forcing them even further apart as large hands kneaded the soft cheeks before him, getting a feel for the creamy skin before parting them with sudden excitement and forcing the entirety of his arousal into Gin's tight embrace.

The snake-like swordsman howled his pain and delight, listening as it echoed back from the white walls and gripping the sheets in tight fists. It was always a pain he could tolerate and it made him shudder and weaken slightly, his knees suffering the brunt of Aizen's animalistic claiming. Never had his former lovers ever treated him so harshly before he met his former captain. It was a giddy pleasure for the shorthaired taichou to be used roughly, worked in, raped, whatever it was called at the time.

The formerly bespectacled captain dug his fingernails into Gin's backside and slid himself from the intense gripping strength of his former fukutaichou's inner sanctum, keeping his vocalizations silent. He was not a loud lover but Gin made enough noise for both of them, hissing through clenched teeth until he was so deliciously violated again, crying out sharply and bucking back for deeper penetration.

He knew that his body was irresistible and he used it to his advantage as he tightened around his lover, daringly milking him for his essence as the grip on his hips intensified to the point where he was actually pained by the bestial fuck, his whimpers growing in pitch until he was nearly howling.

There was an odd little quirk about Ichimaru that Aizen had discovered for himself during their first night together in Hueco Mundo, that an absolutely aroused, ready to burst Gin could climax without touches of any kind, the simple but mind numbing pressure against his prostate giving enough stimulation to trigger his release. It was that much sweeter for both of them because the elder man could continue his wicked claiming and Ichimaru could keep both hands buried in the silken sheets, thrusting himself backwards with tiny grunts that endeared him even more to the well-read former Fifth Squad captain.

The tell-tale tightening of Ichimaru's anal grip gave Sousuke an idea of how soon the smaller man was going to erupt and he quickened his pace accordingly, the bed now making more noise than the ravaged young taichou, the sound no doubt echoing throughout the palace halls, giving each of the appointed Espada, who hadn't yet left for the mortal realm, an idea of what exactly went on behind their lord's door. With a strangled cry, Ichimaru came, gushing onto the linens and thrusting back to get the most out of his release, spasming erratically around Aizen enough to cause his peak to crash as well, rough grunts of pleasure punctuating each internal spurt.

Desperate for cleanliness after their sessions, Aizen climbed down from the high bed and visited the bathroom for a brief moment, coming back with a wet cloth and a towel, eagerly cleaning himself then lovingly wiping his essence and a good amount of blood, from the smaller shinigami, smiling at the sated purrs his lover gave. He would have to heal now, Sousuke's fingernails having gouged him quite terribly, his tight sphincter used enough to allow rough sex but still sensitive enough to bleed from the lack of lubrication, something the snake-like immortal ignored in favour of pleasing his older lover.

Gin rolled onto his back and stretched, a distinctly cat-like grace shadowing his pale form before he spread his legs to allow a nesting space for the taller man, Aizen happily tugging the sheets up with him as he settled with a tiny yawn, resting his head on Ichimaru's chest and lifting one arm to curl in his hair, while the other draped over the opposite shoulder. He was content to simply snooze the afternoon away now that his army was accounted for and given their orders, but alas, it was not to be.

The other thing Aizen had discovered, when he was first appointed Ichimaru as his fukutaichou, was that the eternally grinning young Seireitei resident loved to hold conversations after sex. A quirk most lovers would ignore and fall asleep listening to. This day however, it wasn't a conversation the shorthaired Shinsou master wanted. It seemed to be just an ear he craved.

"Naa, Sousuke? I think I'm going to go to Soul Society tomorrow."

Aizen couldn't resist the temptation to ask why, his generally curious nature getting the best of him. "What for, Gin? You have everything here now, isn't that what you told me when we arrived?"

His head lifted as Ichimaru sighed a very heavy, very sad sounding sigh. "I left my fukutaichou behind."

"Kira is no longer your concern, Gin. I've told you that many times. There is only you and I now. Not even Tousen deserves a space in our agenda."

"But…"

"No but's, Gin. You'll compromise the entire plan if you go back now. Besides, what exactly makes him worth endangering the mission for?"

"He was my little Izuru. So obedient and loyal. I loved holding him in bed after we did like you and I just did. He was very soft, Sousuke. And noisy. He made this little noise when he came. It was so adorable. But I don't love him really. Not like I love you."

"Hn. Noted. But as I said before, I've created you many new playthings if you'd so desire to make use of them. Ulquiorra for example. He's very pale and boyish, much like your dear Kira-kun."

"But he's not Izuru, Sousuke."

The elder man ran a hand through the other's hair and sighed, knowing that he wouldn't hear the end of it if he left the situation as it was.

"Hai, hai. I suppose he's not. What do you expect to do about it then, Gin?"

The Third Squad captain lifted his head and peered across his chest to his lover, red eyes wide and staring. "Sousuke?"

"Tomorrow we'll plan a visit to Soul Society. The Espada will be busy and the other shinigami should be preoccupied with trying to keep a handle on them in the living world. What do you say to a day trip?"

"Yatta! You spoil me, Sousuke! Can we play while we're there? I don't know if I can wait until we come back here to play with Izuru. I'm kinda impatient."

"Hai, I know. We'll see when we arrive. Things may become too difficult and we may have to retreat but things should go well. I may just send you, Gin. Alone you might be able to persuade him to return with you."

The younger man was beside himself with excitement, so much that he nearly thrummed with it, his entire form vibrating with suppressed enthusiasm, happily cuddling the larger man.

"Oh, I'm so excited, Sousuke! …Sousuke?" He gave a gentle poke to the brunet's shoulder, resulting in a light groan and a snore to match, giggling lightly before closing his own eyes and resting back on the mound of pillows.

"Oyasumi, sleepy Aizen-taichou…"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM! –holds up a hand carved porcelain Hollow mask resembling that of Ulquiorra- I do however own this. I'm a freak, I know. I even wore it to do my groceries this afternoon. That's right, phear me.

Warnings: POSSIBLY DISTURBING. Adult language, adult situations. Mansecks/oralsecks. Spoilers for everything up to the current episode/chapter.

Notes: Ok, part 2. Thanks to a dear reader, I've decided to keep this going and work twice as hard to get it out before the weekend, due to my eagerness to keep the fic going and my inability to say no to people. 

After finding the young blond fukutaichou standing outside of his division's headquarters, Renji had taken him out for dinner and then spent the last four hours of their night out feeding sake to the skittish shinigami, intent on getting him drunk so he could at least sleep soundly. The nearly undetectable bags under the boy's eyes worrying the taller man.

Even though he had had almost twice as much as the other, the redhead was better at holding his liquor and easily carried the smaller swordsman back to his quarters, tucking him in and lying beside him to simply watch the boyish face as Izuru twitched in his sleep. He was adorable when his eyes were closed, when they didn't stare sadly at the other vice captain. It pained Renji to see his friend so hurt but reality set in sometime before one that morning when the elder man fell asleep as well.

The sixth division fukutaichou woke first when the sun poked its warm tendrils under his heavy eyelids, groaning out loud as the previous night's drinking caught up to him, his tongue feeling as if it were made of cotton and his head throbbing with the beginnings of a nasty headache. He rolled onto his side and remembered as he looked around, that he wasn't in his own room. The warm, slowly waking form beside him reinforcing the realization.

He flinched as the other threw the covers back and sat up with wide eyes, turning to face him with a look of utter happiness and devotion, inwardly groaning as it instantly melted into sudden shock.

"Renji-kun! What are you…I thought you were…ohh my head…"

Izuru dropped back against the pillows and curled up a bit, giving away his disappointment at finding a man in his bed that wasn't his beloved taichou, tears again forming at the corners of his eyes. With a light cluck of his tongue, Renji slid closer and pulled him against himself, running a hand through the blond's hair and acting as uncharacteristically as possible, a feat his comrades would find surprising, they being so used to his harsh demeanor and sharp tongue.

"Easy, Kira. I shouldn't have stayed but I didn't want to leave ya alone last night. I'm sorry if I upset ya."

The smaller form forced his hands between himself and Renji's chest, looking up with wet eyes and a tiny smile.

"It's ok, Renji-kun. I shouldn't be so distraught over him anymore. Maybe moving on would be a good idea…"

It was the most intelligent thing the boy had said in weeks, making the auburn haired fukutaichou feel better about the situation. Maybe forgetting that snake of a captain was best for Kira. Simple ignorance.

"Aa, sounds like a plan. Listen, I've gotta hurry and get to work but I can meet ya again for lunch ne? If you're feelin' up to it, just meet me at the commissary, ok?"

He grinned widely before letting the other go and crawling to his feet, slipping the straw sandals on and tying them securely before picking Zabimaru up from the floor and giving Kira a brief wink, his muscled form gone in a flash of shunpo.

The young blond stretched and gave a loud yawn as he shifted around the bedroom, changing out of the clothes he had fallen asleep in and switching back into a clean uniform, securely tying Wabisuke to his obi and stepping into his sitting room for a moment, admiring his neat and orderly chambers. He was nearly anally neat and it suited him, his mind kept busy with cleaning as opposed to brooding, for the most part anyway.

He noticed his small houseplant needed a drink as he was preparing to leave and stepped back into the kitchen to get a bit of water for it, barely making it to the kitchen door again before he dropped the cup and listened to the ceramic item as it shattered on the wooden floor, his eyes wide and his knees shaking noticeably. Was he mistaken? Could the reiatsu he felt suddenly belong to the one person he valued most?

Lifting his gaze from the broken pottery, Kira stared into the other room, the furniture neatly free of clutter, each table decorated tastefully with his favourite things, mostly knick-knacks he had been hoarding since he was a child. His one true collectable however, sat with his legs crossed and his arms draped over the back of the low couch, a westernized piece of furniture the boy had paid dearly for but secretly loved, as it was a comfortable place to sleep when he felt that the bed, both his own and Ichimaru's, were too big for just himself. They were just too empty.

He took a hesitant step forward before falling to his knees, bowing low enough so that his forearms rested on the highly polished hardwood, his forehead pressed against it as well as he showed his guest the utmost respect. His slim frame shook with excitement and his smile was hidden at the moment but was certainly there nonetheless.

Kira felt rather than heard as the snake-like shinigami stood and padded over to him, hunkering down on his haunches and resting one outstretched hand atop his head, earning himself a pained whimper from the boy, the third division vice captain lifting his head only when he was certain that his guest wasn't simply a hallucination, the hand on his hair feeling warm and comforting.

"I…Ichimaru-taichou?" His eyes were wet again and he sniffled out loud, ignorant of pride and dignity as his lord had returned to him. "Is it…really you?"

A slow nod of the silver haired shinigami's head and the boy was up on his knees instead of bowing, throwing his arms around the man's neck, completely forgoing proper manners.

"I knew you'd come back for me! I knew you wouldn't leave me forever!"

His squeals of delight made the elder swordsman smile even more broadly as his own arms left their lengthy white sleeves and wound around the boy's back, cuddling the smaller form against him, his smile was sinister, something he prided himself on. No matter how terrible things got in the world, he could smile and still think of himself as the lesser evil..

"Yare, yare, Izuru. It's only been a month. You make it seem like I left you for an entire year."

Kira pulled away and gave Gin a sad look, tears rolling down his high cheekbones, heavy sobs wracking his tiny body.

"Sumimasen, Ichimaru-taichou. I'm just…very happy that you returned."

Shinsou's master chuckled and let go of the shaking fukutaichou, again rising to his feet and replacing his lanky form on the couch, offering with both hands a place for the boy to settle, waiting with a grin as the blond climbed up and straddled his lap, much the same way as he himself did with his own lover. Kira clung to him again then, both arms around his neck and his face pressed against Ichimaru's neck. He had always been cuddly, especially after being berated for a simple mistake or flaw in his performance during a mission and the elder shinigami relished each moment afterwards.

Though he hardly tolerated a whining child, he felt as if he owed the boy his little cry and allowed it to work its way out of his system, his mind running through too many possible situations to sour the moment by arguing about Kira's sadness.

He didn't have to wait long as the boy sat back from his body and wiped his face with the backs of his sleeves, looking to the silver haired swordsman with a smile and eyes that didn't seem quite as sad as they usually did.

"Saa, feeling better now, Izuru?"

"Hai, Ichimaru-taichou. Sumimasen."

"Now, now, don't apologize for my mistake. I'm just a horrible person for leaving you alone."

He was playing on the other's loyalty and he watched excitedly as the blond perked up with a shocked look on his face, shaking his head and bowing it a bit as he blushed slightly.

"Iie, taichou! You're not a horrible person! You just had plans that...didn't include me."

Bingo! That was the phrase he wanted to hear. "Would you like my plans to include you, little Izuru?"

Kira stared, his mouth agape and his voice a hushed whisper, not believing his ears as the playful captain smiled knowingly at him.

"Y...you mean it, taichou? I can come and be with you again?"

The very idea of leaving his life as a shinigami behind didn't even register in the young subordinate's mind, his happiness at being remembered and loved again by his captain blocking out everything else. He was talking social suicide, something that would have him banned from Seireitei and the entirety of Soul Society if he so chose to go through with it. Ichimaru nodded to his question and choked slightly as the boy's arms again circled his neck, holding tightly enough to cut off his air supply.

"Hai, taichou! I'll come with you!" The blond squealed, ignoring the idea of quietly accepting and giving in to his light haired lord. "But...I have to leave everything behind don't I?"

"Of course. You'll be given everything you need once you're settled in. Aizen-taichou said he'll look after everything for you."

The boy balked suddenly at the mention of the betraying fifth division captain, not even realizing that his own taichou had also betrayed the others, personally considering Ichimaru an unwilling pawn in Aizen's evil plan.

"A..Aizen-taichou?"

"He's excited for you to come back with me, Izuru. He's been sorta upset with me for whining about leaving you behind."

Kira was struck dumb. His captain had missed him? Honestly missed his presence enough to cause an argument between the two older men? He swooned lightly and held tightly to Gin's uniform, suddenly noticing that it was different than a traditional captain's haori.

"Will I get to dress like you too, taichou? I...like the way it looks on you."

He was endeared by the boy's honesty and the pink blush that crept over his cheeks sent a carnal surge to his loins, the light shift in his position not going unnoticed by the younger shinigami. He slid from the elder man's lap and kneeled on the floor, small hands brushing aside the white overcoat and working at the waistband of the man's hakama, freeing the awakening flesh and obediently attending to it. It was the least he could do for Gin, given that the mischief-making captain had come back for him.

Ichimaru shuddered and let his head fall back, thrusting his hips shallowly into the warm cavern, one hand carding through the soft hairs at the base of Kira's skull, the other gripping the couch cushions with malice, nearly shredding the soft material as he clawed at them. However timid the blond was, he excelled in the lingual arts In the past, he had the ability to bring his captain to orgasm within a matter of minutes and against Gin's reasoning, managed to do so again this time.

He came with a muffled grunt, too busy grinning down at the blond to open his mouth and voice the ecstasy he felt, his body thrumming with energy. He cupped the boy's face and forced him to stand, pulling him forward and kissing his damp lips firmly, slipping his tongue into the violated space to taste himself, a fetish of the snake-like captain. He was a whore for the taste of ejaculate, always eagerly attending to Aizen whenever he was beckoned or simply in the area when the brunet taichou wanted sexual gratification.

Kira kissed back as if he had never been left behind, sweetly moaning until he was released, his blush now more pronounced but still as endearing to the elder man.

"Come, Izuru. We're going now. Aizen-taichou expected me to be back within the hour."

"Ano...now? But I was supposed to meet Abarai-..."

Gin's fading smile caused him to correct himself, moving to his feet and bowing politely.

"Sumimasen, Ichimaru-taichou. I'm ready to leave."

The former captain grinned widely again and hefted his sated self up, again resting a hand on the boy's lowered head as a yellow light surrounded them both, not a Hollow beacon per se but something similar, a way to travel between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society without arousing suspicions, both bodies slowly fading into transparency.

"Good boy, Izuru. I knew you wouldn't fail me."

For almost an hour, Renji waited outside of the third division headquarters for Kira, giving up when the rest of the squad's member came back from lunch and informed him that the fukutaichou hadn't left the building, nor any of them see him on the way back through Seireitei. It bothered him immensely, especially considering the other shinigami's tendencies towards moodiness and depression, all of which revolving around his missing captain.

Disheartened and a bit worried, the redhead ventured into the blond's rooms, gaining access through the sitting room window and looking around in disbelief. He wasn't there either. It was hardly like Kira to blow him off without notice. Huffing angrily, Renji slipped back out and returned to his own division, his mood lightening somewhat at the sight of his lover doing paperwork. It would be the last of it for the week and being a Friday, the entirety of working class shinigami looked forward to a restful weekend.

"Naa, Kuchiki-taichou?"

"Yes, Abarai-kun?"

"This's gonna sound kinda weird, but is there any way for Hollows to gain entry into Soul Society without us knowin'?"

The elegant Kuchiki put his brush down and sat back, resting both hands, crossed over each other, on top of the large oaken desk.

"No. It's nearly impossible. The alarms sound and the whole of Seireitei is alerted to their whereabouts." He looked curiously at his young lover, concerned by the strange question. "Why do you ask?"

"Well see, at lunchtime, I've been goin' to third division and eatin' with Kira-fukutaichou. He's kinda lonely and we've been friends for a long time-"

"The point, Renji."

The pony tailed vice captain blinked before smiling a bit, happy with his lover's use of an informal title. "He was asking about whether or not Ichimaru-taichou would come back."

The younger man didn't miss the tensing in Byakuya's strong body. It was the same flinch all members of the Gotei thirteen gave when talked to about their missing comrades.

"It's impossible, Renji. Unless Aizen has created a way for them to travel unnoticed, the alarms would have sounded." He lowered his voice a bit but lost none of his former coldness. "Why? Has something happened to suggest otherwise?"

You hit the nail right on the head as usual, taichou. Renji thought with slight anger. Always the bright one.

"Kira was supposed to meet me for lunch and never showed up."

Knowing the punctuality of the blond as well as any of the other captains, Byakuya felt as if this were a concern, especially since he was in some way connected to one of the runaways and not another simple seated member of the third division.

"I think you should look into it, Renji. Check his living quarters and those of the other officers in his squad. Leave nothing unturned. Something is not right."

For the regal nobleman to become worried so easily, Renji felt as if something truly were wrong, giving a light bow and turning on his heel to make it back to the blond's home, shouting orders to the lesser members of his own division to follow. If things got hairy, he could at least use the backup.

Byakuya, having felt the silver haired shinigami's reiatsu just over an hour prior his conversation with Renji but thought nothing of it because of his belief in the Hollow warning system, leaned forward over his desk and rested his chin on both uplifted hands, glaring at the slightly open door but not upset because of it. His lover was worried after all, and carelessness came with haste.

"What have you done this time, Gin? Are you so foolish that you would come back simply for the boy?"

From his place beside Aizen in the grand throne room, Ichimaru grinned widely and wagged a finger at the bound blond lying before the high seat, drinking in the look of shock and hurt as he curled his other hand in the hairs at the back of Aizen's head, leaning far enough into his lap to nearly be on it completely.

Brought to Hueco Mundo and dragged to the former fifth division captain's chambers, Kira hadn't argued, still too ecstatic to be with his lord once again, not even flinching as the bright light assaulted his eyes and forced him to lift a hand to shield them.

Then the pain had come, a binding spell that only the best of the captains possessed, snapping his arms down at his sides and pulling them behind his back, dropping him to his knees, his ankles just as bound, if not more tightly than his wrists.

He uttered not a single sound as the two men stared down upon him, trying to still act the proper vice captain to his lord and humbled in the presence of the other man, whom he had liked in the beginning but slowly began to fear as the years had gone on, still impressed by Momo's ability to remain his fukutaichou for so long.

Gin cleared his throat slightly and refrained from showing any more affection towards the elder shinigami to his right, choosing instead to rise and tuck his hands inside the sleeves of his outer robe, his adorable yet dangerous smile reaching an almost feral proportion before he stepped down the steep stairs and stood beside the prostrate blond, chuckling softly.

From the corners of his eyes Kira suddenly watched people congregating into the large room, though 'people' were hardly what these creatures were, most of them carrying distinctly human traits but all of them wearing broken masks of some sort, each one resembling that of a Hollow. He felt his knees start to shake from the sight of them all, grins and stern looks alike, each one eyeing him as if he were a morsel upon their plates.

One in particular stood to the left of Aizen, his bright green eyes and sad looking facial markings making Kira feel somewhat better, judging the creature's age to be much younger than the rest but seriously doubting his own methods of justification, still shivering until the line up had finished and he was left in sudden silence. Looking back to his captain he whimpered slightly, frightened but not, conflicted emotionally because of the situation and because of whose presence he currently resided in.

Gin only looked down and opened his eyes, a sight the boy couldn't ever remember seeing before, the red of them dark enough to be blood painted over white crystal, the menacing tone in Ichimaru's voice sending a shiver down Kira's back strong enough to make him shift uncomfortably, its icy tendrils biting at his delicate flesh.

"Naa, Izuru. Welcome home."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM! I do however own the rights to Ichimaru's dirty little fantasies. They're ones that I've harboured myself one time or another, imagining little Izuru spread-eagled on my bed with only his fundoshi on… Oops. Off on a tangent there…

Warnings: Adult language. Possibly disturbing, if only because of Ichimaru's lopsided love. Mentions of a past relationship between Ichimaru and Ukitake. Read my other fic 'Drawn and Inked' for the full smutty reference points. Angst.

Notes: Hmm, nothing to note really. I haven't had as many readers of this fic yet so it's too new to speculate anything. I just seem to get the chapters out too fast for people to start the 'OMGZorz!11shiftone updat soone plz!1'. It's hilarity at its finest hour, really. And also, please forgive me Uchiha Yumi-kun. I didn't mean to make myself sound bad by calling my fics 'filthy ramblings' because in truth, they are. My filthy (dirty) mind thinks these things up without the benefit of coherence or a beta-reader. I'm simply the host to an unwilling, perverted consciousness. –laughs-

Renji angrily tossed aside the sheets on Kira's bed and snarled, too worried about his friend and angered at his sudden disappearance to care about the mess and destruction he had left behind once arriving at the blond's quarters, garnering stares from his fellow division members and not a few whispers. They all knew that the redhead considered the third division fukutaichou to be a close friend but to act like a barbarian and needlessly destroy things seemed beyond them.

"Moriyama!"

"Hai, Abarai-fukutaichou?"

"Take the others and report Kira-fukutaichou's disappearance to the third squad. Then return to the sixth and wait for further instructions."

The short haired fourth seat nodded and took off, calling out orders to the other men, who disappeared immediately, hurrying across the Court to the third division headquarters. Renji had little to go on but something was definitely amiss, the immaculate rooms marred by a broken cup and stains on the hardwood where water had surely dried within the last few hours. He gritted his teeth and sighed. Nothing was going to get done if he simply sat and brooded.

Turning suddenly, Zabimaru's master whirled on the closest wall, punching a whole into it and coughing suddenly from the dust and wood splinters that puffed from the broken surface. He left the small chambers and ran back to his own division, catching his captain just as the regal young shinigami was leaving the office area. The look on Byakuya's face made the younger man's heart sink and he stopped abruptly.

"Taichou?"

"Genryuusai-dono has ordered an investigation into Kira-fukutaichou's disappearance."

"And?"

The sakura blossom wielder flared his eyes for a second before answering, his own irritation with his ignored intuition feeding the flames inside.

"It's Ichimaru."

Renji stared before turning away and snarling loudly, nearly crying with anger as he again faced the dark haired captain.

"They're not here anymore then, are they?"

The nobleman shook his head and stepped forward as the redhead's knees stopped bothering to hold him up, catching him and holding him up enough to seem dignified and not pathetic. Though they were lovers, Byakuya knew that his vice captain loved the blond as a dear friend and possibly more, and it ached deep in his gut, the idea that his vibrant lover was pained by the sudden situation.

"Renji. They've gone back to Hueco Mundo. Ichimaru's reiatsu was noticed by Shobantai-taichou. It was weak, as if he were masking it, but it was unmistakably his."

He was loathe to mention that he too had felt it, his skills with spirit energy recognition better than most, deciding that keeping the little secret to himself would hardly hurt the tattooed swordsman any more than he already was.

"Twelfth division is working on the gateway. We'll go after them there or drag them back here where it's much safer to deal with them without the added threat of being within the Hollow world."

Renji only nodded and stood himself back up, staggering a bit but managing a tiny smile from the elder man's compassion. So Byakuya loved him enough to feel bad over his friend's disappearance hmm? It was a small win for Renji's heart. Little bits of undying devotion and love slowly forming a larger picture.

"Taichou. I'm goin' after them when the gateway's opened. I don't care if you don't want me to. I'm not leavin' Kira alone again. I shouldn't have fuckin' left him this mornin' even…"

Ahh, so that's where his fukutaichou had been overnight. Byakuya couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy over the redhead's protectiveness over the skinny shinigami. Still, it was rewarding to have friends in the end.

"I won't give you orders otherwise, Renji. Genryuusai-dono has asked that you join the assembled party, along with Ukitake and myself. The reasoning will be explained to you before we depart."

From the floor of Aizen's throne room, Kira watched his captain approach him with something akin to malice in his eyes, the red of them a mesmerizing colour, resembling blood even more now that the blond had realized his mistake in joining the silver haired shinigami.

There was little excitement in Gin's mind as he hunkered down on his haunches and ran a hand through Kira's hair soothingly, smoothing the blond locks back from his face, even though the lengthy bangs slid back to their comfortable place, again hiding an entire half of the boy's youthful looks.

"Do you know why you're here, Izuru?" Ichimaru asked with a lick of his thin lips. "Loyalty aside. Tell me why you think I've brought you here."

The bonds immediately loosened so the boy could shift over to a kneeling position instead of lying on his side, stretching his thighs a bit as he kept his head down ashamedly, still nervous in the presence of the former fifth division captain.

"Ano, taichou-"

"Yes, Izuru?"

"I'm here…because you wanted me to be. You said that you came back especially for me."

Ichimaru was on him in an instant, one hand cupping his chin and reclining his head to a near painful angle, forcing the dark eyed boy to stare him in the face.

"Loyalty aside, Izuru. Since when did you disobey orders?"

Kira almost choked on the assumption that he had disobeyed his captain, an absolutely unheard of idea.

"Iie, taichou! What I meant to say was…I'm here because you and Aizen-taichou wanted me here."

"Yatta! Good boy, Izuru!" The happiness returned to the silver haired shinigami's face and he hopped to his feet and fairly skipped back to the towering chair, leaning against Aizen's right leg and wrapping an arm around it, another of the possessive gestures the blond would have liked to ignore.

"He's ready, Sousuke. Can I take him to my room now?" He was back in full excitement mode and the brunet leader nodded with a pleasant smile, chuckling softly as his lover left him to collect the boy into his arms, releasing the binding spell on him and watching as Kira slumped in his former fukutaichou's arms.

"Be careful with him, Gin. If he's to be useful to us, he can't be broken."

"Hai, hai, Sousuke! I'll be good!"

Kira didn't struggle as he was carried, instantly soothed by the elder man's arms around him, his body and mind conflicting ideas on whether or not he'd ever make it out of the brightly lit world alive.

He couldn't help but think that he wouldn't.

"He sounds very pretty, Ulquiorra. Better make sure that he doesn't take your place beside Aizen-sama."

Grimmjow Jaggerjack, sixth Espada in Aizen's army. Irritance to Ulquiorra and a thorn in the sides of the other arrancar. He was worthless. Only a pawn. But oddly enough, Aizen favoured him.

"He's probably better in bed than you are too."

The blue haired Espada chuckled to himself as he jumped down from the windowsill in Ulquiorra's chambers, having been invited to discuss the arrival of Ichimaru's new toy. Neither creature liked him but he was plain in their eyes. Boring hair and a weak mind. The depth of his loyalty however, pleased both arrancar, as they too knew the level of dedication it took to become wanted by their lords.

"Be quiet. You don't know what you're taking about."

The young part-Hollow barked back, irritated with the change in conversation and noticing right away that the elder creature seemed to be hitting the nail on the mark each time.

"Aizen-sama trusts me and values me above all others. A pathetic shinigami will never take my place. If Ichimaru-sama wants him for himself, he can have him. It will keep him out of our lord's bed at least."

Nothing was secret within Hueco Mundo it seemed, the relationship between the two ruling lords notwithstanding as they had nearly announced it upon their arrival, Aizen telling the others where Gin stood and what they could do with their blind associate, the corn-rowed captain locked away until such time as they needed his expertise.

"Yeah, betcha he fucks like a wild animal. That's why Ichimaru-sama likes him."

Both arrancar could hear the conversation going on behind the double doors to the throne room, every word echoing throughout the building as if it had been purposely made to do just that. After all, Aizen wasn't as outwardly friendly as he once was and when one creature made a mistake, they were all expected to learn from it.

"As I said, Grimmjow. Shut up."

Hardly able to contain his anger at being talked down to by the younger Espada, the blue haired arrancar stalked off, slamming the sliding door closed behind him and allowing it to echo, letting his lord know that someone was walking through the hall. He was just as tolerant of what went on within the shinigami's quarters but having new ones arriving made him somewhat edgy.

He was just about to enter his own rooms when the double doors opened and out came the silver haired shinigami, the smile on his face unmistakable as one of extreme excitement, the lanky bundle in his arms turning its head until he focused upon the large arrancar, dark eyes widening, followed by a light gasp. So, the boy has never seen one of us before, he thought. Hilarious.

Ichimaru looked to the creature and nodded his head in acknowledgement before turning his back, barely bothering to say anything as he padded his way to the largest of the secondary quarters. The facially tattooed Espada member had never seen the inside but he was sure it would be as white as the others, but most certainly decorated in red.

"Grimmjow."

He stood at attention once he was recognized and addressed. "Hai, Ichimaru-sama?"

"He's beautiful isn't he? Regardless of what Ulquiorra-kun says, Izuru will never keep me from Sousuke's bed. Remember that."

The arrancar was nearly struck speechless as he merely nodded and bowed to the sneaky shinigami, noticing the cringe in the carried body at the elder man's words, waiting until the sliding doors had closed before retreating into his own rooms and again slamming the screens, whispering angrily to himself because of his sudden realization.

"He heard all of it! Fuck if that isn't a kick in the teeth…"

Grimmjow lifted a hand to gently finger what remained of his Hollow mask, grinning broadly at the mention of teeth, calloused fingertips tracing each of the molars still attached to the broken covering.

"It's getting too fucking crowded around here…"

In the depths of the twelfth division's laboratories, Kurotsuchi Mayuri worked diligently in his newly refurbished form, again back to the scary sight he once was and damned proud of it as he grinned maliciously at his daughter.

"Nemu. Bring me the exchanger for the soul particles. And hurry up about it. You're so slow that time itself could beat you."

"Hai, Mayuri-sama."

The delicate girl fetched the aforementioned item, an odd contraption that only a member of the engineering division would even find interesting and useful, placing it on the table next to her father and waiting quietly for further instructions. It had been tense for the last few hours but already they were closer to gaining entry into Hueco Mundo.

"The randomizer. Now, girl!" Yellow eyes flashed angrily as the slim figure moved again to fetch the item, hitching in a deep breath as it was seized from her violently, earning her a backhand and a growled threat. Such was the life of Kurotsuchi Nemu. Not an argument. Not a complaint. So loyal, yet not.

Light banging and hammering followed the last insult before it because deathly quiet, Mayuri reading his paperwork to make sure he had installed everything properly so far, pondering over the placement of this and that. It would be days before he could finish. Being rude to your skilled subordinates certainly made for long, tiring hours working alone.

"Throughout my career as Captain Commander, I have never had to organize a team of my own subordinates to travel into the world of the Hollow's, but because of the current situation, there is little else I can do."

The voice of Yamamoto Genryuusai echoed in the grand meeting hall of the Court, the reverberations seemingly worse now that the gathered souls only consisted of four people. Renji shifted uncomfortably, unsure of an audience with the Shobantai-taichou and somewhat uncomfortable around Ukitake. The white haired man had never appealed to his tastes as someone he could particularly trust but given the situation and the thirteenth division captain's loyalty to Soul Society, he could have done worse.

"Ukitake-taichou. Kuchiki-taichou. Abarai-fukutaichou. The three of you will make up the team I have decided upon. The sixth division's record of successful missions to the out world has ranked you the best for this job."

The aging man turned to Jyuushiro and cleared his throat somewhat, knowing that his favourite captain was less likely a good choice for the job but given the man's past with Ichimaru, it seemed proper.

"Ukitake-taichou. Your relationship with Ichimaru Gin in the past was noteworthy to a point. He was often calmed by your presence and was even tolerable when in the same room as yourself. Can I count on your cooperation in this endeavor?"

The noble-but-not-quite shinigami bowed low before straightening and smiling warmly.

"Of course, Genryuusai-dono. I appreciate your tolerance of our relationship. It meant a lot to me then and it does now, if only to bring him back for his punishment."

Satisfied with this answer, the eldest of the shinigami waved his hand to end the meeting, turning his back and padding back to his own quarters within the heart of Seireitei, leaving the three men to their own devices as they excitedly waited for the chance to leave Soul Society.

Afraid of having to carry on a conversation with the ailing captain, Renji excused himself and headed home to pack a few things he'd need, salves and whatnot that could be tucked into his obi and sleeves, and he planned on having a long bath before they left. There never seemed to be time to bathe during missions and feeling dirty really hampered his spirits.

Free of the younger man, Byakuya smiled slightly at his companion and walked close to him as they headed back towards the division buildings, never having been friends before but knowledgeable of each other's habits and practices.

"Genryuusai-dono knew about Ichimaru and yourself, Ukitake?"

A light blush crept up over the bridge of the elder man's nose. "Hai. He caught us twice in the gardens before we swore we would only engage in such activities within the privacy of our own homes."

The noble Kuchiki heir laughed softly and looked sideways at the longhaired captain, admiring his grace even though his body was so broken.

"What about yourself and Abarai-fukutaichou? It's hardly a secret any longer, Byakuya."

"Genryuusai-dono doesn't seem to have anything to say about it, nor has he caught us unawares out in the open, Jyuushiro."

Both men had instantly fallen into companionable comfort with each other, changing to given names as opposed to their formal ones, enjoying the friendliness it conveyed. Byakuya, though old, was still Ukitake's junior by way of centuries, but they acted as if they had known each other as long, if not longer. Ukitake attributed it to the knowledge that both men were of noble blood to an extent. Byakuya, to the other man's outward kindness.

Privately, Byakuya didn't hate the other man any longer for the death of Shiba Kaien, but he still harboured anger over it, simply choosing to let it sit for the time being. The current situation hardly warranted an argument. It also forbade the now-teammates from arguing and forced them to work together properly. Rukia's return to Soul Society and her safe release from the death sentence had softened the diamond hard resolve of the elder Kuchiki and he was mildly thankful for it.

"My third seats have the formal seals ready for the capture, should we need them. They are merely hand seals instead of large objects to carry with us. It seems the Shihouin family had more secrets than I had previously thought."

In truth, the noble family had many secrets, most of which still remained hidden from the rest of the immortal world, but Ukitake had taken it upon himself to unbind three new ones, each with a power greater than what he had dealt with before, a realization that nearly frightened the delicate taichou.

"In one hour, we'll meet on Soukyou's grounds and proceed with the mission."

Byakuya turned to his left and was gone, Ukitake's haori fluttering telling him that the younger shinigami had been working on his shunpo, barely a flicker of the regal form appeared against the sky as the ailing captain made his own, much slower way, home. Walking was sufficient and with Sentarou and Kiyone gathering his things, he had plenty of time to relax before the deadline crept up.

Rustling to his right had the white haired man peeking off to the side, immediately noticing the reiatsu of his female third seat, Kiyone's trademark steps giving her away almost as if she wanted to be caught, Sentarou's heavier thumps matching her's, still in competition even when following their captain to his 'invitation only' meeting.

"We're leaving in an hour-"

"We heard taichou!" They chorused together. "Everything's prepared!"

Ukitake smiled and shifted his pace to move somewhat faster, now eager to get their job finished as his body ached terribly from the center outwards, a cough tickling in the back of his throat that he managed to fight down. He didn't need this now. His skills must be at their peak for such a dangerous mission. He grimaced and coughed anyway, right away attended to by the third seats, each of whom he brushed off with a few polite words as he wiped his mouth with a cloth, which he tucked back under his obi for next time.

Next time.

The idea of each wrenching pain and subsequent coughing fit ripped at his mind.

How much could he be counted on during the trip? Would the sickness hold back until they had at least saved Kira?

Sighing, Ukitake stepped into his home and padded upstairs to his bedroom, slowly lowering himself to the plush window bench he and Ichimaru had shared so many times in the past. It hurt to even think of him and how evil he had become. He pulled his zanpakutou from his belt and set it beside the seat, eyeing it with a heavy heart, knowing that if things came to an end, it would be Gin who tasted Sōgyo no Kotowari's steel.

"Kami save us. We're heading right into a den of snakes…"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM! That's it. No little ditty here because due to Southern Ontario's massive heat wave, my brain resembles overcooked scrambled eggs right now.

Warnings: Mansecks. Possibly disturbing. Adult language and adult situations. Gratuitous use of naughty words. Randomness that can only be generated by yours truly. Bear with me.

Notes: Sankyuu, everyone! I'm excited to have chapter four ready so soon. Time on my hands and the inability to venture too far outdoors have obviously combined to make me a writing machine. I suppose heat waves are good in some aspects.

An hour and twenty minutes passed before the out-world party was finally assembled, Renji arriving late and apologizing profusely, his eyes red rimmed and his voice wavering slightly as he spoke his explanation to the first division captain. The aged leader nodded his acceptance of the reason once seeing the state the young swordsman was in and allowed him to step into line, just as Mayuri and Nemu appeared beside the Shobantai-taichou.

Barring unforeseen circumstance, the gateway should work, using the alternate wavelengths of Hueco Mundo's residual appearance against itself, in an attempt to tear a hole, much the same way Hollows did to gain entry into Soul Society. The tiny device was set up at Genryuusai's feet and with a flourish only Mayuri possessed, the modified shinigami flicked it on and stepped back, eagerly awaiting its effect.

A blinding light shone from the tiny portal in the top and radiated upwards, immediately and viciously tearing a hole in the sky, heavy crackling not unlike thunder booming overhead. Byakuya remembered it as nearly the same sound as when the young ryoka had arrived with his friends, ages ago it seemed to the nobleman. Things of the past he barely remembered.

One last pulse of the bright energy and a sufficient tear was created, a black nothingness that existed against the pale backdrop of the setting sun. Nothing emerged from the darkness, waves of uneasiness settling around the men's feet as they shrugged it off.

"The window of opportunity is merely half a day. Twelve hours from this moment, the gateway will close."

Kurotsuchi-taichou's voice rang out in the stillness, pulling a light jump from the pony tailed fukutaichou, his mind still elsewhere and barely registering what the odd looking captain said.

"Abarai-fukutaichou. Did you hear what I just said?"

Renji snapped to and nodded quickly, giving a light bow as his attention was again focused on their task.

"Hai, Kurotsuchi-taichou. Sumimasen."

The elder man sneered slightly and turned to the other two team members, addressing them more quietly, purposely keeping some parts of the discussion secret from the obviously upset vice captain.

"…and then you will return here. Genryuusai-dono has agreed to be present when you arrive, his fukutaichou as well. Both will accompany you to the tower where the detained parties will be held captive until they can be questioned."

Ukitake and Byakuya nodded in unison, absolutely understanding of the situation and taking in as much information as possible, turning on their heels once the yellow eyed shinigami had finished.

"Understood, Kurotsuchi-taichou." Came Jyuushiro's humble reply, still noble even without truly being so, right down to his toes. "Byakuya? Abarai-kun? Shall we go?"

The other two nodded and lifted themselves into the sky, jumping hard to gain the height they needed and immediately catching in the hole's suction, as if they were on the outside of a great vacuum and were slowly being taken in by the darkness. The first division captain remained where he stood and even hunkered down on the ground for a bit of a rest, deciding that despite his age, he could still sit and wait for his subordinates to return safely. Irritated with waiting, Mayuri simply bowed to the elder man and disappeared, dragging Nemu with him as he headed back to his laboratory. Forget waiting. He was a do-er, not a wait-er.

They passed a giggling mass of bushes but didn't bother to consider the laughing foliage simply because of what caused it, the thirteenth squad's third seats sitting neatly beside each other as they watched the clown-like captain brush past. They liked the way he looked only because it was humourous and because they were fairly joined to Ukitake's hip, he was bound to find them lurking about while their captain went to do his duty.

Decked out with food-based supplies to last them until the next night, Sentarou and Kiyone nestled comfortably together, waiting for their beloved taichou to return to them.

"Nnnghhh…Ichimaru-tai…chou…"

A whimpered sigh in the overheated room gave rise to naughty occurrences, one small form stretched across a large Western-style bed while the other kneeled atop him, straddling the slim waist and running long fingered hands over a taut, pale belly.

"What is it, Izuru? Do you have something cute to tell me?"

The blond shook his head and bit his lip as Gin pinched his nipples painfully, eliciting a sharp gasp from the vice captain, as well as an upward surge of tiny hips. It was a favourite pastime of the third division captain, to see how long he could taunt the younger shinigami sexually until the boy broke beneath his skilled hands. In their clean lives as captain and vice captain, entirely within the past, it had taken less than a week.

In some minds, Kira might have been labeled as a whore, for so easily accepting his sempai's touches and affections. To the eternally grinning taichou however, he was merely 'my little Izuru' and a toy to be constantly played with. Only once the boy had been broken and Gin had fixed him afterwards, had the bond become strong enough to endure anything. He had made sure of that.

"Naa, Izuru. There's no need to lie. Sousuke said I could play with you for a bit. You don't want to waste my time, do you?"

Kira managed to squeak a negative response and then moaned throatily as Ichimaru's right hand wrapped around his cock, drawing a pained sound that bordered on a death rattle, a sound the snake-like shinigami hadn't heard in absolute ages. He purred deeply and leaned down to whisper in the fukutaichou's ear, rubbing teasingly against him as he thumbed over the sensitive head of the throbbing arousal.

"I like that sound, little Kira-kun. Do it again for me. I want to hear it when I take you…"

As if stimulated by the man's simple words, the blond came suddenly, arching his back and causing the elder man to stabilize himself, white cream coming to rest on his knuckles and the boy's own belly. Gin lifted his hand and chuckled as he licked the residue from his slim digits, slurping noisily at them until they were immaculately clean. Anal to a fault, cleanliness was an essential item in his mind. Everything must be cute and clean.

"Ichimaru-taichou…"

"Mmm, you're so sweet, Izuru. I wonder what Sousuke will think when he finally gets to taste you."

The younger death god trembled slightly but said nothing, only blushing a darker shade than he already was, his arousal now depleted and limp against his thigh, a sure sign that he was spent. Usually, Ichimaru could get three climaxes from the young swordsman, but considering the stress he was under, once was delicious enough.

The former captain slid off of the shivering form and sat cross-legged beside him, facing away and towards the door. Strange, thought Kira, but his captain had always been a bit different from the others.

The door to his chambers slid open immediately following his position change and he fairly shone with excitement. The once bespectacled captain stood before them, closing the door with one hand while the other deftly untied the uniform obi, releasing the heavier material from himself with a great shrug of his shoulders.

He was broader than Kira had remembered, though he had hardly seen enough of the fifth division captain to make much of a comparison, his chest muscled in the right proportions to the rest of his body, a physique mortal men would literally die to have. As the top half of the outfit came down, so too did the bottoms, slid down thickly roped thighs and strong calves, the man's feet seemingly the only small thing on his large frame.

The blond shuddered to think of what damage the man had caused in his past as a highly skilled captain.

"Naa, Sousuke! I was just going to come find you!"

"I can see that, Gin. Is he calm?"

The younger captain nodded and slid from the bed, leaving the blond in his relaxed state and slithering to his lover, wrapping both arms around the now naked form and grinding against him, earning a growl and a slap of skin against skin as Aizen gifted him with a vicious smack to his nude rear end. Shinsou's master only cried out sharply and then moaned, writhing even more as he seemingly begged for it again, his head dipped back and throat exposed to the madly grinning Espada overlord.

Sparing nothing, Aizen leaned forward and captured the thick cord in Ichimaru's neck between his teeth, biting down violently on it as his tongue licked the pinched skin between his jaws, dark eyes open and gazing upon the delicate form atop the mussed bed. It was obvious that they hadn't been nude together for long, the scent of sex lacking in the room, as well as the scent of blood. Even to Kira, the knowledge of his captain's love for bloody play was strong. There was no sex without blood.

A delicately pained whimper escaped Gin's lips as he bucked against the elder man harshly, in need of more stimulation than he was receiving, his hands curling in the soft hairs at the base of Aizen's skull. He would never tire of his former captain's touch and regardless of who his audience was, Ichimaru intended on enjoying him as often as he could.

"Y…you spoil me, Sousuke. But I think Izuru will assume that you're hurting me."

Wabisuke's master lifted his head at the mention of his name and stared at the two captains with wide doe eyes, afraid of interfering and saying anything at all, remaining in his spread eagle position even though shame and humiliation suddenly coursed through his slowly shivering body.

"Let him think what he wants, Gin. He's a grown boy."

"Maa, but Sousuke…"

"Gin…"

"Hai, hai. Gomen ne."

The snake-like shinigami went back to enjoying the encompassing warmth of the elder man as he moved large hands over the bony plains of Gin's smaller form, slowly backing up as he begrudgingly pulled his hips away from his lover's core, Aizen's cock pulsing noticeably from within its bed of dark brown curls.

Saucily, Gin slid around to embrace the former fifth division captain and with one hand on his hip, the other gripped the hot flesh tightly, earning a sharp intake of breath for his efforts, as well as a mumbled curse. He knew that his skills were exemplary but it always gave him a small thrill to so easily arouse and interest the other captain.

Kira was beside himself with embarrassment and slight jealousy. He wanted to be touched by his own captain even more, not displayed for the other two men as they fondled each other. Sure he was tired, but a touch from Ichimaru was always welcome, even if it was one given to him in anger. His light wriggles against the oddly cool linens caught the younger man's attention and he chuckled softly as both hands got into the works, one cupping Aizen's sac while the other continued to stroke him wickedly.

In Sousuke's mind, the only way to break in a new recruit was to show him the duties he would eventually come to do. With a light growl, the elder man took Gin by the shoulders and pushed him towards the bed, assuming that the red eyed swordsman knew what he expected, having recently done the same to Ulquiorra after he had been created.

"Take him, Gin. I want to see the look on his face when he finally gets what he wants."

It was like watching a child get reacquainted with a well loved toy, all long fingers and deft hands working the more tender bits on the blond's tiny body, a swift movement and the boy's legs were parted and pressed back so that his knees were against his chest and Ichimaru was pressing the heated length of his cock into his fukutaichou's tight hole, savouring the pained cry as he took him without the benefit of salve.

He hissed like the snakes he resembled, fisting his hands in the pale sheets as he snapped his hips, leaning on the other shinigami firmly enough to keep his legs taut, opening the willing but resisting portal even further. Tears fell from the corners of Kira's eyes and he sniffled slightly, his arms above his head as he thrashed them on the plush pillows. The pain was significant but the blond tolerated it because eventually, it leeched into an all-encompassing pleasure, one that would soon rock the body of his taichou and allow the silver haired shinigami to mark him with his seed.

Aizen stepped lightly from the center of the room and waited at the edge of the bed, his shins against the end of it as his hands roamed the porcelain white mounds of Ichimaru's ass, smirking broadly before bending forward and nipping each cheek, parting and bringing back together the firm globes. If nothing else, the young taichou had a wonderful behind, one made for violating. Everything from the gentle slope as it met his back, to the enticing dip where it met his upper thigh. When it was moving rhythmically and jiggling along with his lover's thrusts, it was an even more delicious sight.

The brunet tugged back on the other captain's slim hips, pulling him to the edge of the bed and watching with amusement as Gin brought Kira with him, still deeply inside the young body and actually switching his pace to a somewhat more violent one, taking the boy without abandon.

Kira was too engrossed in his claiming that he didn't even feel the elder man coming up behind his captain, that was until he saw the brown topped head appear over Gin's right shoulder, the smile upon his face malicious and filled with barely concealed acid. Both of the former fifth squad captain's hands were over Ichimaru's shoulders and the position gave little else to the imagination other than the fact that the Espada lord was going to take Gin by force, while he was still servicing the young fukutaichou.

One hand disappeared for a brief second before the light haired swordsman cried out and bucked his hips back, nearly removing himself from Izuru's anal grip, said hand returning to a pale shoulder as Aizen used them as leverage in his conquest of the sharp tongued third squad captain. The blond shuddered when he dared to look up into Gin's face, the furrowed brow and parted lips giving him an idea of how exquisite the pain was, bared teeth in even rows and a hiss seething from between them. He had seen the arousal the elder man had been sporting and though it was tempting and utterly delicious to look at, it would most likely be dangerous to any of the man's lovers.

Clearing his throat with a sound not unlike a snarl, Aizen looked down to the timid vice captain, smiling with his fake 'Aizen-taichou' smile.

"Do you see how Gin enjoys my ministrations, Kira-kun? How his body aches for my touch? You will become this way one day. It all depends on how well you learn to adapt."

The boy blinked and stared with wide eyes, his body betraying his sudden fear by shuddering with pleasure, his taichou's movements slowing considerably, giving him the perfect opportunity to catch his breath, knowing that it was mere seconds before the snake-like death god would release. He counted to nine and was rewarded with a snarl that echoed back from the white walls, the unmistakable splash of hot seed within him sending a shiver up his spine.

Ichimaru made little noise save for the initial snarl and he allowed his slowly diminishing cock to slip from the fukutaichou's abused hole, grinning happily at the blood that leaked from him along with his own essence. It made him twitch, the sight of his little Izuru, bloodied though seemingly unharmed, the scent of sex finally permeating the room as he gave the blond a light shove to the hip to indicate that he was to roll out of the way. Kira obliged and stood up instead of remaining on the bed, now curious as to what was going to happen to his captain when he was out of the picture, the sensation of the man's ejaculate sliding down his thigh itching, causing him to squirm lightly.

Though hardly interested in what the blond was up to, Aizen watched with carnal interest as the boy shifted uncomfortably from the odd feeling, knowing what it felt like from the few occasions he had humoured the younger captain by letting him take the lead, situations that Sousuke hardly bothered to remember. Not because Ichimaru was a bad lover, far from it actually. It was a submission to a more dominant power and he couldn't stand for it. He was the dominant power. No one else.

Free of Kira's form beneath him, Ichimaru took hold of the linens with both hands and forced himself back on the impaling member, grunting with exertion and throwing his head back where Aizen caught the short silver hair in one tight fist, keeping the other's head back and using the handhold as a bridle of sorts, a bit of leverage to gauge his thrusts. Gin was hardly going to fight him so why not take him for what he was worth?

The time for fun was over as the once bespectacled captain scratched Gin's back, letting his hair go to use both hands, digging deep furrows into the delicate porcelain flesh, blood instantly welling to the surface and dripping over the rise of his sides to drip to the sheets below. The red of Gin's blood was so stark against the white of the well-made linens and Kira gasped at the sight of it, earning himself a harsh glare from the sanbantai-taichou. He wouldn't be interrupted now by an insolent subordinate, no matter who the boy was.

The former third squad captain was only working towards his lover's completion and moaned sluttily as he bucked back against the powerful thrusts, lowering his chest to the mattress and opening himself further, ignoring the hissing pain in his back. It was added to by a forearm suddenly catching him about the throat, pulling back so that he sat up on his knees, his hands up and on the object as he cried out, the change in position delightful but painful to his soon to be crushed windpipe.

So was the relationship between the former squad mates, one of anger and deceit, of blood and sex. Aizen preferred it that way and through him, Gin had become nearly the same, preferring pale bodies and young minds to corrupt. The elder man pulled back even harder and gained a choked cry from the smaller man as he came, emptying powerfully and causing the snake-like shinigami to whimper as the hot seed coated his insides. He was allowed to collapse once Aizen let him go and he breathed heavily from the soiled sheets, sliding down to lie on his belly and tucking his face under one raised arm, listening to the deep breathing and heady chuckle of the powerful overlord.

The brunet redressed himself and leaned over the still form of his lover to plant a light kiss to his temple before exiting the room, staring down at the frightened blond as Kira shied away from him.

"You belong to Gin and Gin belongs to me, Kira-kun. There is a fine line separating you and I and if that line is ever compromised in any way, you'll have the entirety of my army down upon you. Nothing you've experienced in life, nor in death, will have prepared you for the Hell you will face. Is that understood?"

Kira fought back tears and looked from his happily sated taichou to the menacing figure before him, ducking his head and nodding profusely.

"H…hai, Aizen-taichou. Sumimasen."

Satisfied with the boy's answer, the brunet lifted a hand and patted his head, reverting to the smiling captain Kira had seen many times when visiting Hinamori-fukutaichou, paining him inside because he knew that that life was all a lie. He turned his head away and walked to the bed to sit down, certainly angering the man by ignoring his touch but unable to tolerate it suddenly, finding no reprimand however.

The regal arrancar leader turned from the room and threw the door open, suddenly oblivious to the two naked men inside who were now on display for the Espada standing in the hallway. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had arrived first, having been mere inches from the silver haired shinigami's door, listening to the actions happening behind it. They had immediately felt the change in the Hollow world's perimeter and were about to notify their lord but neither wanted to bother him when he was…busy within.

Aizen stared down each subordinate before settling dark eyes upon the two closest creations, first falling to Grimmjow but deciding upon Ulquiorra for the details.

"Ulquiorra. Report."

"There has been a breach in the safe zone perimeter, Aizen-sama. In much the same way we interfere with Soul Society, three shinigami have broken through our defenses and have arrived at the outer gates. It has been confirmed that the intruders are shinigami of the sixth division, Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji. The third is the captain of the thirteenth division, Ukitake Jyuushiro. "

Sousuke snarled and turned on his heel, barking orders as he walked, the Espada following behind him as Ichimaru peeked out of his door, yawning, half caring about what was going on. The hall was now empty except for himself, clad in only the bloodied top sheet from his bed, the item clinging desperately to his tiny waist. He turned and looked down at the sleeping form curled up on the cleanest part of the bed, the blond swordsman tired out and only beginning his initiation into Aizen's army.

"So, they've come looking for you, Izuru. And they're close friends of yours, it seems. How exciting."

He licked his lips and gave his groin a slight adjustment, not aroused but uncomfortable because of the stickiness clinging to him.

"And they've brought Ukitake with them. I wonder if that was Genryuusai-dono's doing. Ohhh, I can't wait to play with my Jyuu-kun again…"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM! Shiba Kaien owns my soul though. He's a wonderful, magical little sprite who frightens my personal demons. He are teh smex.

Warnings: Adult language. Blood. Violence. Angst. Mind fuckery. The best things Bleach has to offer. Also, when I mention things like Ukitake being noble, I use it in the sense that he's very formal and proper and his family were actual nobility but to a lesser degree than the Kuchiki or Shihouin clans.

Notes: Whoa, chapter five. I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I started this fic, honestly. Aizen has taken over and is holding me ransom, but according to Soul Society law, once he left and traveled to Hueco Mundo, he became excised from their laws and can no longer be held responsible. In layman's terms, I'm fucked.

* * *

"And they've brought Ukitake with them. I wonder if that was Genryuusai-dono's doing. Ohhh, I can't wait to play with my Jyuu-kun again…"

* * *

The shinigami mission party landed safely at the furthest outpost of Aizen's 'kingdom', immediately looking for enemies and finding none. There was…nothing. At all. The entire world was black, the ground, the grass, the trees. The only thing they saw that even resembled anything remotely familiar were the gates to their left, large shoji silk screens that looked much like those used by the shinigami to travel between Soul Society and the living world.

Renji was the first to move towards them and hesitantly drew his sword, keeping it in its sealed state but taking a wary stance anyway as he reached out with one hand and touched the right hand panel, staring somewhat stupidly as nothing happened. He pushed the door over and peered through the crack, bright light spilling from inside, silhouetting him to his teammates.

"What is it, Abarai-kun?" The white haired captain queried. "Is there anything inside?"

The redhead turned back to shake his head but suddenly whipped his hand back from the door, narrowly missing a date with dismemberment as a sword drew down along the space between the doors, whistling from the speed of its descent. The two noblemen drew their own weapons and stood poised for a confrontation, Byakuya neatly standing tall while Ukitake leaned forward slightly, his eyebrows furrowed with sudden concern.

The enemy blade rested at the base of the doors, as still as if it had been left by itself before it turned sideways and slowly drew along the floor, pushing the sliding screen open even further, the whiteness beyond again silhouetting Renji as well as their attacker. The figure was tall, that much was obvious but the shape of the darkened form was odd, neither shinigami able to register exactly who or what it was.

It raised one arm and instantly the light from behind dimmed, revealing Grimmjow's lithe form, his clothing immaculately white, his zanpakutou pointing towards Renji's feet, causing the loudmouthed swordsman to jump back reflexively. The grinning arrancar stared at the three men before snorting out loud.

"I'm fuckin' impressed. Just a second longer and I woulda had you, shinigami."

Renji growled and lunged for the already irritating figure but stopped short as he tipped his head back from a second blade, his eyes lifting from the first one to stare skyward as the honed metal sliced through his hachimaki and just barely licked at the skin of his forehead. The white material sloughed to the ground and the vice captain lifted a hand to feel the wetness gathering around the small wound, growling more menacingly than before, this time taking refuge in front of his captain-class teammates, standing defensively, far enough from the doors to provide a safety zone for himself.

"Come out, you fuckin' cheapskate! Fight me where I can see you!"

A loud chuckle came from the blue haired creature that still stood in the doorway, his tongue curling out from a thin pair of lips to give them a saucy lick, as if pleased with the situation. He reached his empty hand out and pushed the second door aside, a smaller, impossibly more frightening form residing behind it, his hands at his sides and large green eyes taking in the men before him.

The markings on his face reminded Renji of tattoos, not only because he also carried them, but also because they were such a stark contrast with the boy's skin, his pallor a barely sun-kissed shade of white, nearly the same as the outfits both men wore. The pony tailed shinigami had also noticed the first man's facial markings but thought less of them because they were coloured, the light blue at the corners of his eyes matching the man's hair.

"You've got a pretty big mouth, eh shinigami?" The taller one asked, his fingers twitching around the hilt of his zanpakutou, its guard as blue as the rest of the accents that adorned him. He lifted an arm and elbowed the other man playfully, almost familiarly.

"Naa, Ulquiorra. Betcha Aizen-sama'd like him. Since he's got such a fuckin' big mouth and all…"

The captains stood watching the scene with something akin to bewilderment, the reiatsu coming from the two men suggesting that they were indeed high class beings, but the taller one's attitude suggested a young fighter like Renji. The smaller one bothered Byakuya, for reasons he didn't quite understand. It was his eyes, he was sure of it.

"Now is not the time, Grimmjow. Bring them to Aizen-sama. He wishes to have a private audience with them."

The one named Grimmjow nodded halfheartedly as the younger of the two turned and walked towards what appeared to be a long corridor extending deeply past the twin doors, turning on his heel as well and gesturing with an outstretched arm, indicating that the other men were to follow. The sixth division fukutaichou was suspicious and he snorted indignantly, turning back to his captain and only receiving a nod, inwardly sighing when he realized Byakuya wanted him to follow.

The two new arrivals had certainly worried both members of the sixth and it was Ukitake who moved first, coughing lightly and looking Grimmjow in the eye once stepping past the inside barrier and listening to the doors close behind him. The indoor space was nearly foggy with released reiatsu. The colours mingling and swirling about each other. Most were unrecognizable but here and there he caught sight of Aizen's in blue and green. The place they currently stood must have been a building of some kind, considering the furnishings and walls surrounding them, giving meaning to Genryuusai's idea of a grand palace within Hueco Mundo where its current leader would have resided.

There was no sign of Kaname Tousen's reiatsu and it made Renji feel somewhat better, never having liked the blind captain anyway, the noble Kuchiki heir also relieved to sense a lack of the powerful swordsman's energies. Though the redhead was less skilled in the ways of detecting the soul powers, he could still feel it when a particularly powerful one came around and he nearly choked when a cloud of seemingly unassuming grey slipped into the room from the end of the long hall, curling about their feet and chilling the men's toes.

The smaller of the two enemies had finally stopped walking as they approached a set of large double doors, twice what the entranceway had been, obviously a meeting room of sorts. They didn't assume for even a second that it was a throne room. Neither of the men had lived during an era when the royal heir to the throne of Japan had personally allowed commoners inside his chambers so being near such a room didn't even register with them.

The blue haired arrancar came up beside his partner and eyed each shinigami in turn, receiving a stare from Byakuya, a dirty look from Renji and an oddly shining pair of grey eyes from Ukitake, his hand clutching Sōgyo no Kotowari's hilt, but not moving as if to use it. The mingling reiatsu now oozed from each crack surrounding the doors, the blue, grey and green dancing amongst each other as if their mixing was the only thing allowing the smoke-like substance to even levitate. Both men left the intruding Gotei thirteen members by themselves as they moved behind them and walked back way they had come. The click of a sliding door being securely locked echoed quietly, along with a muffled gasp had each of them visibly on edge.

Sufficiently assured that they were alone again but worried about their safety nonetheless, the longhaired thirteenth squad captain cleared his throat slightly before coughing into his hand, a side effect of his nervousness and agitation over the entire situation.

"Byakuya, this reiatsu-"

"It's Aizen and Ichimaru."

"Aa, but I feel nothing of Kira-fukutaichou. I doubt he can mask his energy this well."

The youngest of the trio looked from one man to the other before stepping in front of them a second time and looking the large doors over, keeping his distance so that if a second attack came like the first one 'outside', he would be better prepared for it. None came however and he relaxed again, tucking Zabimaru back into its sheath and sighing with frustration. He was absolutely worried for his friend's life and nothing could shake the fear of never seeing him alive again.

Nothing seemed right. Their being left alone in an empty hall, the two…whatever they were meeting the group at the gates. It was all very suspicious. He snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to stand more comfortably.

"They fuckin' leave us here and assume that we'll just stand and wait!"

* * *

The muffled noise the three shinigami had heard came from none other than Ulquiorra, the young arrancar looking up from his place on Grimmjow's floor, green eyes glaring daggers at the taller male. The two had never really gotten close to each other but because of Aizen's orders to them when they were created, they were to pair with each other for practice, in case the former shinigami ever needed a change from his sexual life with Gin and decided to seek them out.

Ulquiorra already considered himself skilled in the seductive arts, having been with the brown haired taichou before, his efforts rewarded by being named a high-ranking officer within the Espada. Apparently, due to his tattooed mark and his smug look when around their leader, Grimmjow had also been with Aizen and had been praised for his work.

From his vantage point on the cool hardwood, the helmeted arrancar could see his comrade's arousal through the light uniform hakama, and though he was tempted to take matters into his own hands as he did with their lord, with the blue haired Espada member, he was loathe to. It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy it. He simply liked to deny the elder creation what he desired.

Aware of Ulquiorra's stare, Grimmjow reached a hand down and undid the ties to his pants, allowing them to fall free of his hips and he stepped out of them, lovingly fondling himself as he moved to kneel on the floor as well, their height difference still noticeable. He prided himself in being taller and more muscular than the younger arrancar but neither bit of information mattered much to him as he let go of himself and shoved the other down onto his back.

There was no ignoring their urges once the larger creature was aroused and Ulquiorra found it exceedingly hard to avoid him when it happened. He always seemed to be indirectly responsible for it as well. Whether it was a certain look he gave the elder arrancar, or possibly something he had recently done that garnered Grimmjow's attention.

As it was, the smaller of the two relented this time as well, untying his own hakama and slipping them down slim hips and thighs, kicking them aside and parting his legs in expectation, waiting less than a second before the gruffer creation slid between them and entered with a sharp grunt.

Ulquiorra grimaced and inhaled deeply, enjoying the stab of pain that went along with the deliciousness of being filled so quickly, secretly savouring the puffs of hot air in his ear as Grimmjow stayed kneeling but was leaning right over, the hairs at the back of his head tickling the smaller Espada's cheek. Arrancar had always seemed easy to arouse and were quick to release, a problem Aizen had wished to deal with and wasn't entirely happy about but because of the amount he had created, he could be satisfied by more than one in a night if need be.

Leaning his head to the side, the blue haired swordsman bit down viciously at the other's neck, growling into the clammy flesh as he spent himself, his entire form shaking as he emptied in tiny spurts, still giving enough to fill the tight space sufficiently. He chuckled as he pulled out of the abused pucker and sat back on his rear end with a huff of exertion, watching with barely concealed delight as the younger Espada worked himself to release.

It was lovely to see, Ulquiorra's head tipped back as he held himself up on one outstretched arm, seemingly reaching behind himself as his forward hand moved fiercely, stroking the pale flesh and moaning softly before he finally came, dribbling over the head of his cock and coating his tightly clenched fingers.

He allowed himself to lie back on the cool floor and breathed heavily, ignorant of the mess he was creating from the sweatiness of his back and the pooling seed underneath his ass.

Grimmjow only smirked and stood to redress, looking down upon the smaller arrancar with slight malice. He wondered idly if Aizen-sama enjoyed fucking Ulquiorra as much as he did. Though the things Aizen did to the green eyed creature were much different than the plain fare Grimmjow enjoyed with him. There were just some places a cock wasn't meant to go. Spirit chain holes were one of them.

* * *

The doors simultaneously opened along the center split the second Renji had finished his angered query, immediately whirling around to see who would emerge from the depths of the choking reiatsu, its colour changing again as whisps of yellow started their slow swirl throughout. Now this energy they each recognized, but there was no source for it, the blond vice captain still nowhere to be seen.

"Yare, yare, Abarai-fu-ku-tai-chou." The silver haired former captain drawled, appearing in the opening, pronouncing each syllable as if it were a taunt. "You're much too loud. You could be heard even from the gates."

The former eleventh squad member bared his teeth as he grimaced angrily, Zabimaru drawn and already halfway to being raised threateningly, one foot behind himself as he readied an attack on the grinning betrayer.

"Ichimaru!"

"Maa, there you go again. Really, Kuchiki-taichou. You let him act this way? I would've thought that a man of your status could tame wild beasts."

Byakuya's eyes flashed with anger at the deceptive captain, Senbonzakura already in his hand. He moved quickly, even without the benefit of shunpo. To his right, Ukitake stood still, neither moving for his own sword nor backing away from the threat. Ichimaru caught his eyes and he gasped softly, averting his gaze and taking a more defensive stance, one hand lifted to block a sudden attack if one were to come.

There seemed to be no danger from the former third division captain, his eyes ever-smiling and his mouth a taut line as he grinned an impossibly large smile, his slim form taking up little space in the doorway, giving a detailed view of the inner sanctum.

The rescue team had little time to peer over its contents however, as Ichimaru stepped back inside and left the doors open, allowing them access as he hurried to the very back of the grand space, nearly the entirety of the back wall taken up by a large chair, almost a throne, rising up from the floor itself in a sharp angled tangle of architectural design.

The snake-like shinigami fell onto his behind once reaching the right hand side of it, crossing his legs and comfortably settling himself into what seemed like his usual spot, pillows everywhere, neither of the three men watching him as they peered upwards to the highest point of the structure. Atop the high altar sat Aizen, the smirk upon his face so broad that he almost seemed to smile.

"Welcome, my fellow shinigami. Am I wrong in assuming that you've come for the boy?"

All three men visibly cringed from the loudness and tone of Aizen's voice, something they had never heard before, all having become used to his soft-spoken, polite conversational skills. At the mention of Kira however, Renji glared dangerously and took a tentative step forward, his hands at his sides and looking all the world like an indignant child who had just been yelled at. Aizen chuckled softly, a deep resounding noise that carried right up into the room's vaulted ceiling.

"He's alive, Abarai-kun, if that's what you're worried about. I would not have had him brought back here if I had wanted him dead. A simple murder in Soul Society would have been enough. It being so easy to get away with and all…"

Ichimaru piped up after finishing with the immaculate cleaning of his nails, his hands now resting on either of his knees as he sat up straight and presented himself better to the intruding shinigami.

"Maa, Sousuke. You'd never hurt my darling little Izuru, would you?"

The brown haired former captain had little time to answer as the angered sixth division fukutaichou again threw himself into imminent danger, his sword drawn and held above his head as he lunged at the lowest of his enemies, pushing himself up into the air and coming down upon the snake-faced captain with a sharp cry and a flare of reiatsu. It was the way Ichimaru had referred to Kira that had finally caused the redhead to snap, knowing that regardless of the elder man's politeness and loving attitude, he was a demon in disguise and secretly treated his fukutaichou as a living toy.

His attention was dragged to the left as a flash of yellow light blinded his peripheral vision, his attack unable to be aborted as he came down upon a blade that wasn't a wakizashi, giving proof to his suddenly confused mind that the silver haired former captain hadn't lifted his zanpakutou in defense.

Renji jumped back once the zing of struck metal raced up his arm and again took a fighting stance, staring in disbelief at the slim form that stood between himself and the object he wanted to destroy.

Byakuya and Ukitake could only watch as Renji stared down the tiny blond, Kira standing poised in front of Ichimaru, a scowl on his face and Wabisuke held out in front of himself. The look on his face was as menacing as it ever got, still, betraying his dangerous abilities with his delicately boned cheeks and small hands. The red haired fukutaichou had never truly taken him seriously unless the other vice captain was absolutely livid or in danger of being killed.

Now however, dressed as he was, in the Espada uniform, Renji wasn't sure whose side the third squad member was on. He lowered Zabimaru and stood in a more friendly position, not sheathing the sword but trying to seem less threatening to the obviously confused boy.

"Naa, Kira. What're you doin'! We're here to take you back, dumbass. Why're you tryin' to protect that bastard!"

The blond shivered noticeably as he lifted his head from his gaze upon Renji's shoes, afraid of meeting his eyes but absolutely angry with the pony tailed fukutaichou for trying to attack his captain.

"Step back, Abarai-kun."

The redhead blinked and gave a sour look before advancing a few steps, his hands out in a friendly gesture.

"The hell I will, Kira. He fuckin' brainwashed you and you're still fuckin' believin' him!"

Renji was more angry with the blond than Kira could possibly be with him, years of convincing the boy that Ichimaru wasn't trying to drive him crazy finally wasting away as the boy himself proved to the sixth squad lieutenant that Gin's plan had worked.

"I said step back, Abarai-kun. You know what Wabisuke can do and I doubt Kuchiki-taichou or Ukitake-taichou want to deal with it either."

Irritated and ready to kill Ichimaru for what he had done to his friend, Renji changed his method of attack and turned away from the blond for a brief second before launching himself up towards Aizen instead, crying out loudly as he brought Zabimaru up again, going for the same attack as the one used on Ichimaru, deciding that if he could at least attack one of them, the other would join in and give him a more fair fight.

He hadn't planned on a counter attack and was struck with a sharp cloud of energy, landing in a smoking heap on the floor of the throne room, Kira staring over at him with raised eyebrows as Aizen stood and tucked his hand back into his sleeve. It was nearly the same action he had taken with one of the Hollows that had threatened the boys and Hinamori Momo, back when they were training and got caught unawares.

It hurt. Renji cried out from the burning sensation that lashed over his exposed flesh curling up slightly before drawing himself up onto his knees and lifting his head to stare down his attacker. He could hear Byakuya stepping towards him and he held a hand out in anger, not wanting his lover's help. It was a fight he could master. It was. He kept repeating it to himself, even ignoring the sudden gasp of shock from the regal Kuchiki heir.

It was Kira, who had retreated to Ichimaru's side and stood familiarly with one of the captain's arms around his waist, that caused Renji to see what was happening behind him, his head turning slowly as if he knew already and feared the worst. His body ached outwardly because of the burns and the stretching of muscles that hadn't wanted to be stretched, and a low groan of defeat pressed its way past his lips.

Byakuya stood poised for a fight but was held from behind, Senbonzakura's tip touching the ground as that arm was restrained by a hand around his wrist, the other was twisted painfully around his back and from his vantage point, Renji could see the cord binding his lover's bent arm. It bore a Shihouin family crest. Realization dawned on the redhead and he roared angrily, unable to believe their misfortune.

"U…Ukitake-taichou…why?"

The white haired captain smiled slightly and gave Byakuya's right wrist a vicious snap, not breaking it but causing him to drop his zanpakutou, the blade clattering to the floor as his arm was dragged back and fastened to the other. A swift kick to the backs of his knees and the dark haired captain was on the floor as well, unable to use anything remotely reiatsu based due to the constriction of the sealed cord. Feeling wicked, Jyuushiro thumped his heel on the back of Byakuya's head and knocked him out, dragging a howl of protest from the pony tailed shinigami.

"Byakuya! Goddamn you, you bastards…"

"It's very simple, Abarai-kun. Temptation can be a dangerous thing. In the past, Gin and I were lovers. Before that, he and Sousuke were together. It was a hard front to hold up for so long but there never was any true animosity between us. I was loyal to him then and I am loyal to him now."

Ichimaru smiled and held more tightly to his fukutaichou, suddenly a little worried that the boy would take the other captain's words at face value.

"I don't understand, taichou…"

"What's to understand, Abarai-kun?" Aizen called from above, slowly growing impatient with the vice captain's ignorance.

"Ukitake-taichou is on our side. It seems your list of trustworthy comrades dwindles with each passing day."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM! The Espada came and took everything I owned in return for being loyal to Aizen-sama. Though Grimmjow and myself got to use the bed before it was destroyed. Right after he and Ulquiorra soiled it up real nice…

Warnings: Barely there mansecks. Adult language. Adult situations. Possibly disturbing. Angst.

Notes: Whoa, where the Hell did that come from! Ukitake-taichou's a traitor! Wowie! Gotta love plot twists eh? I had it in mind for a long time and that seemed to be the best time to reveal it. I hope everyone enjoyed the loveliness.

* * *

"Ukitake-taichou is on our side. It seems your list of trustworthy comrades dwindles with each passing day."

* * *

Renji could hardly believe his ears and he groaned out loud as unconsciousness overtook him, the pain in his burned body only adding to the discomfort before everything thankfully went black. He couldn't feel himself being carried as a nameless arrancar hefted his large form over one strong shoulder before dumping him onto a rather large bed, the room as simple as the other Espada's quarters and private as well, something Aizen had guessed the redhead would prefer.

The same would have gone for Byakuya but upon Ukitake's guidance, the dark haired nobleman was left in Renji's room, laid upon the bed as well and securely locked in from the outside. According to the white haired traitor, the two men were lovers and it would be most interesting to put them together instead of splitting them up for questioning.

Leaving them there, the young arrancar smirked and headed back into the depths of the white compound, knowing full well what went on up on the highest floor of the grand building. Their lord was a deviant and throughout the ranks of arrancar and Hollow, not one creature dared doubt his abilities in both leadership and sexual prowess. In short, the man was dangerous.

* * *

The atmosphere in the throne room was less than cheerful, regardless of the meeting between the former lovers, Ukitake and Gin. The elder man stared from his former bedmate to the beautiful blond boy beside him, smiling warmly and receiving a shy nod and a light blush from him. So innocent, he thought. Perfect for the snake-like captain.

His gaze drifted up to the high throne where the brunet shinigami was descending the side stairs slowly, his zanpakutou brandished in full view should there be a conflict of any kind. The ill taichou doubted there would be but with inwardly seething rage, he held his tongue and continued to smile.

"Your loyalty intrigues me, Ukitake. I was certain that you would stay as far from me as you possibly could. My disappearance should have been a godsend to you."

The former fifth division captain smiled like a snake ready to strike, his eyes open and the few wisps of hair that touched his forehead bounced lightly as he stepped down the last few stairs. The energy was almost tangible in the room as the two men squared off, Kira's eyes wide as he watched them, slipping closer to his captain and even moving to kneel as he buried his face against Gin's shoulder. The silver haired shinigami could only grin adorably as his lover's stared each other down.

"Your disappearance was a mystery, Aizen. I could have stayed in Soul Society by myself for another thousand years but I chose to return to Gin."

"Aa. I see that. But what of Gin's new toy? What could he possibly do with you that he doesn't do with him?"

It angered the white haired shinigami, to be talked down to as if he were a naughty child.

"The boy is none of my concern."

Gin moved now, sensing Kira's uneasiness with the current situation, whispering softly into the fukutaichou's ear and giving the boy's behind a gentle pat as he bowed and left, watching with a mindless little smile as the blond scurried back to his rooms. He got up out of his pillowed seat and walked over to the pair, acting as jubilant as he possibly could to at least dispel some of the animosity that charged like electricity between them.

"Yare, yare, what's this fight about now?"

Ukitake turned to regard the silver haired captain, feigning indifference to his calm demeanor before returning his glare to the more dangerous of the three, mostly ignoring the other man's question.

"I'm only here for Gin, Aizen. You, mean nothing to me. You were once one of my most beloved friends, but since your arrogance and deceit took two of my closest comrades, I've found myself unable to forgive you."

The taller man only smiled and turned on his heel, heading away from the light haired pair to deal with the intruding sixth division members.

"There is nothing to forgive, Ukitake-taichou." The chill in his voice unmistakable. "What I did, I did for the furthering of my own plans. Your subordinates were of no importance."

The cold words came as a surprise to both Ukitake and Gin, hurting the longhaired shinigami more but it also struck the grinning taichou as well, having dealt with the fukutaichou and his wife's deaths alongside his then-lover. Grimacing slightly, the fox-faced former captain turned from the two and made as if to leave, suddenly angry with Aizen for being so obviously and purposely cruel, despite his evil nature.

"Where do you think you're going, Gin?"

He turned to look back over his shoulder, his eyes open so the red orbs could convey most of his emotions.

"I'm going back to my quarters, Sousuke. Izuru needs to be settled in a bit more."

"You'll stay here with your former lover. I have no doubts about your remaining feelings for him. I can feel it in your reiatsu. You practically stink of desire."

Glaring dangerously, Gin stayed where he stood, his lips peeling back from the permanent grin to bear a perfect set of teeth, the canines longer than normal but still keeping their human qualities, barely reaching his lower lip. He knew better than to openly defy his current lover for fear of being cast out or destroyed, knowing that Aizen was a man who saw power and self-indulgence as better things to live for than love and devotion.

Resigned, he bowed and stood patiently, keeping his eyes on the dark haired leader as Aizen's roamed over the lithe form of the thirteenth division captain, seemingly trying to garner some form of favour from him.

"Tell me, Jyuushiro-kun. Did the sixth division members know about your relationship with Gin? Did they know how you would betray them in the end?"

"How ridiculous! How would they have known? Wouldn't they have been prepared for it and not so helpless once it happened? Really, Aizen. You surprise me."

The twitch in the Espada lord's face was obvious as he turned away from the other two shinigami, strolling with a clip to his step and throwing the doors open violently, the wooden frames slamming home in their wall slots.

"You walk on thin ice, Ukitake. If you have to keep one thing in mind, let it be this. I let you live the moment you arrived in Hueco Mundo because of your involvement with Gin. I don't harm the things he loves. Kira-kun is also fortunate because of this reason.

I personally have no love for a captain who cannot save his subordinates when they're in danger, especially when standing right next to them. Regardless of the situation.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have captives to interrogate."

* * *

From his current position, all Renji could see was white, his eyes open but the scene before him was a bare landscape, pain arcing across his body as he shifted to sit up, realizing at once that he had been staring at the ceiling of a room smaller than the one he had previously been in. He lifted a hand to grasp his head, grimacing from the all over ache that threatened to become most irritating.

To his right was a small desk and to his left was a large expanse of bed, adorned with his lover, the man's hair spread out like a fan. He was alive but sleeping it seemed, the redhead's heart slowing its pace once he noticed that his captain was indeed all right.

Despite the burns on his forearms and chest, Renji got up and wandered the large room, looking for a way out after giving the door a tug and finding it locked.

"Bastards thought of everythin'!" He growled out loud and punched the closest wall, cringing from the pain that lanced through his arm. "Fuck! We're not gettin' anywhere this way!"

Soft moans from the bed drew the pony tailed shinigami's attention and he immediately rushed to his lover's side, examining him as the elder man tried to sit up, a hand on his head to keep his fukutaichou's prodding fingers from causing him any further pain. There was a nasty bump on the side and it would swell and become quite uncomfortable in the coming days but to the nobleman, it was merely a reason to regroup and think on their plan.

"Renji?"

"Hmm?"

The regal Kuchiki shifted off of the large and rather comfortable bed to stand, straightening himself and right away noticing that Senbonzakura wasn't at his side, Renji's hands moving to grab Zabimaru, which was also missing.

"Kuso…"

"What happened, after Ukitake took hold of me?"

The redhead went on to explain the basics, not mentioning the blow to the head his lover had received from the traitorous thirteenth division leader, walking around, nearly pacing, the length and width of the simple room.

"…and then I woke up in here. They must've taken our zanpakutou before lockin' us in."

"Sou ka. I think our course of action is obvious. We have to get out of here and find Kira fukutaichou."

"He wouldn't leave Ichimaru's side. The whole time, he just sorta stood there, lookin' more blank than usual. I think he's been fuckin' spelled or somethin'."

"That's less likely than you think, Renji. He's devoted to Ichimaru. There's a difference between being brainwashed and being loyal to your captain. I would expect you to be the same with me in a situation like this."

"Well 'course I would, but this's gettin' out of hand! He tried to fuckin' kill me!"

"Protecting his captain."

"Hai, hai, I see your po-"

The approaching reiatsu caused the redhead to silence himself suddenly and move back towards the bed, wishing for a weapon of some kind but choosing to rely on his kidou if necessary. He spoke softly as he crouched in front of the dark haired captain, ready to fight for him.

"I'll take 'em, whoever they are. Bastards aren't gonna catch me off guard a second time."

The door slid open and instantly Renji tensed, his left hand raised to begin a kidou spell if needed, red eyes watching the large form as Aizen slid elegantly into the room, a tiny smile on his well-formed face.

"Naa, Abarai-kun. Lower your hand, if you please. I have nothing but respect for the sixth division but your skills are hardly a threat to me."

Renji growled out loud, a sound Byakuya actually blinked at, never having heard it before and it honestly surprised him that his lover could be so outwardly feral in his anger. He did lower his hand however, not wanting the wrath of the former captain to come down upon himself.

"Aizen. What do you want with us? We only came for Kira, so fuckin' hand him over and we'll go."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Abarai-kun. It's Gin's call as to what happens to him. It was his decision to go and get him and I've left it up to his discretion about how the boy is treated and handled."

Again the growl came, a snarling yowl as Renji launched himself towards the dark haired taichou, his noise cut off by a sharp bark of surprise as he turned back to see his own captain grasping his sleeve tightly, a look of absolute fear on his face, something the pony tailed fukutaichou hoped he would never have to see again.

"Stop, Renji. His powers exceed yours. Let him say what he has to so we can see what's in store for us."

Aizen chuckled and turned to leave, simply not wanting to reveal anything to the two shinigami.

"You've both no doubt formed a new opinion of Ukitake. Am I wrong in assuming as much?"

While it was true that Renji had switched directly from being thankful of the man's presence to loathing him outright, he was worried about voicing his opinion at the present time.

"I'm not sure what I fuckin' believe anymore. I'm about three seconds from tryin' to kill you dead, you bastard…"

"Hush, Abarai-kun. I doubt your mood is making your captain feel any better. He's hardly in a position to be arguing or fighting back, ne, Kuchiki-taichou? Your head pains you, doesn't it? Your arms itch where the rope was securely tied? It's all cumulative in the end. The sealed rope which tied you has a residual effect that limits your reiatsu."

He turned and looked back to the gallant fukutaichou.

"And the barrier which I struck you with works in much the same way. You will both be nearly useless for the next three days. I suggest you take that time to ponder a way of escape. The doors will be locked, the window is barred and you will have no visitors. You especially, Abarai-kun. Kira-kun has made it quite clear that he wishes no contact with you."

The elder man's words stabbed Renji like a knife as he mentioned that Kira had refused to even go to speak with him, plus the previous actions of the blond suggested the same, but in a different way.

"Until that time, I bid you gentleman good day. Try not to kill each other. I have plans now, for both of you."

He was out the door again as swift as a breeze, leaving only Byakuya to groan as his head immediately started to pound anew, his hand clutching at the kenseikan and managing to drag them from his dark hair instead of properly removing them, finding slight relief when they weren't scratching against his pained scalp. Renji watched and waited until they were all taken out and then collected them, tucking them safely into the pocket in his left sleeve, snapping the clasp shut to prevent them from falling out.

Instead of joining his hurting lover on the bed, Zabimaru's master sat himself down on the cool floor, curling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around, easily resting his chin on them and sighing out loud, defeated and feeling terrible because of it. Not one to cry over a bad situation, Renji closed his eyes and patiently waited out the storm, hoping that at least Kira would come, if only to laugh at him. At least he could see his friend again before anything else happened.

* * *

Kira had moved quickly to get back to his captain's quarters, the bright hallway empty except for the quiet sounds of voices talking to one another, his tampered with mind telling him that it was only his imagination, nothing more. He shivered despite the heavy over cloak he wore and slid into Ichimaru's rooms silently, closing the doors but leaving them unlocked for the elder man when he decided to return.

It hurt him to know that so many of the captains had enjoyed the silver haired taichou before him but he continued to remind himself that he was still young and by the time he had even arrived in Soul Society, they had all known each other in some form or another.

He sighed as he took the heavy coat off and draped it over the chair Gin had told him to use, the straight back adequate for keeping wrinkles out of the warm garment. His captain was considerate, if nothing else. Even the way he cuddled him close in the throne room and cared for him enough to keep him from hearing what Ukitake had to say. In the end, Kira still had no qualms with the snake-faced shinigami.

Candles snuffed, the blond curled his nude form into the comfortable bed and decided to sleep to waste his alone time, not wanting to sit up and broods over what his captain was doing with the other shinigami, remembering a time when he had caught them together in Ukitake's home and then was caught by Gin immediately afterwards. How embarrassing it had been for him! He remembered going home and crying over it for the entire night, making it to the office the next morning but he was barely awake.

Sneakily, the young fukutaichou slipped a hand down under the sheets to gently fondle himself, surrounded by Ichimaru's things and seemingly happy for the first time in ages, his lips parted and legs spread beneath the silky coverings. It was so naughty of him to service himself while in another's home, not to mention in another's empty bed, but simple thoughts about Shinsou's master had him painfully aroused and ready to burst, gritted teeth and whispered moans the only things he gave to the near darkness of the spacious room.

The bed sheets smelled like his captain. He curled a fistful of them to his face and inhaled deeply, shuddering from the distinctly exotic scent. He could lose himself in them but then what good would he be? A boy lost in a sea of bed linens where the only people alive were himself and his elder lover.

A place where former love interests didn't come around to ruin things…

* * *

"So Jyuu-kun. Explain yourself."

The longhaired captain whirled from his place staring at the double doors to glare angrily at his former lover, at a loss on what to do, other than make up with the grinning fool.

"There's nothing to explain, Gin. Genryuusai-dono asked for volunteers and I offered. There were no suspicions of the agreement because I'm still one of the least obvious captains in all of Seireitei."

"And still the most modest too." The third division captain chuckled out loud. "I always loved you because of that, Jyuushiro."

"Aa, I remember."

Both men peered at each other in the following silence before Gin walked quickly from his place and wrapped both arms around the taller man, pulling him closely against himself and breathing deeply in his ear, delicate hands rubbing up and down along Ukitake's back. It was a meeting of lovers, of that there was no doubt, and having been given free reign of who he engaged in coitus with, Ichimaru was eager to re-consummate his love for the thirteenth squad leader.

"Ahh, Jyuu-kun…I want you…badly…"

A shivered moan was all he got in response, the same thing the nobleman had been doing for years, barely speaking as he pushed the younger man away and started to peel his robes off. In the heavy air of Hueco Mundo, and especially the air inside the palace, Ukitake found that he could breathe more comfortably without coughing, odd considering that Soul Society's air was the cleanest, less dense air available.

Once nude, he wasted no time in moving to the stack of pillows the short haired taichou had been on previously, spreading them around and kneeling on the thickest ones, lowering his head and upper body to the others as he presented himself accordingly.

Ichimaru was beyond aroused and he made good on a promise long ago that he would never forget how his lover liked to be taken, warm hands gripping Ukitake's buttocks as Gin rubbed his cock between the pert mounds, teasing but for barely a minute before he spread the cheeks wide and claimed the tight pucker violently, earning himself an anguished cry from the elder man.

It was an animalistic claiming, one reserved for punishment and in truth, Ichimaru felt as if he were punishing the other shinigami, if only because he had dared to defy Aizen in the man's own home, secretly interested in the situation because of the conflict it provided. The short haired death god knew that he wouldn't last long enough for his lover so he slipped a hand down to stroke him as he pounded away mercilessly, reaching his peak at an embarrassingly quick pace and holding it off as well as he could so that Ukitake could come first.

A choked cry and a powerful buck of slim hips and Gin felt the telltale wetness dribble over his fingers and soil his favourite pillows, frowning slightly as he relented to his own release and calling out almost angrily, he filled the elder man with his essence, bending over his back and viciously biting down at the firm shoulder of his former love. It was a characteristic thing for the snake-like shinigami to do and Ukitake tolerated it as he always had, moaning softly as he came down from his high.

Ichimaru dressed quickly and leaned down to press a light kiss to his already exhausted former lover's forehead, thinking to himself that he'd have to teach the elder man how to engage in sexual situations for hours on end again, his young body still needing it more than once daily.

"Come with me, Jyuu-kun. I'll show you to a room so you can get cleaned up and get some rest."

"Mmm…thank you, Gin."

"You're more than welcome. 'Sides, I'm not gonna be busy for a little while now. Izuru's probably asleep already."

* * *

From the end of the hall, Kira's eyes widened at the mention of his name, stilling his motions a split second too late and ejaculating suddenly onto the clean sheets, wailing his release as Gin had taught him to, his shrill voice carrying throughout the hall and back into the throne room, where Ukitake lifted his head and peered at Ichimaru, receiving a grin that said the younger shinigami knew exactly what had transpired.

"Sounds like Izuru's being a naughty boy and hasn't fallen asleep yet. He makes it so easy for me to play with him. He just has to be his innocent, delectable self…"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM! I do own a cosplay costume of Ukitake and yes; my lover likes to be Gin for me in his own costume. It's immensely thrilling and for a few hours each day, we both feel as if we're owned for a change.

Warnings: Blood, violence, adult situations and adult language. Possibly disturbing. Angst of the Abarai variety. Long windedness due to Aizen's insanity.

Notes: Yeah…I had a hard time with this chapter but it's the turning point of the entire fic. Please be kind. I wrote it over the course of four days at work, while dealing with Bridezilla's and family funerals. (I'm a florist.)

----------------------

The night passed without major incident and again, the sounds of business and hallways filled with people echoed throughout the rooms of the large palace, waking those who were supposed to be awake already and irritating those who weren't.

Aizen had gone directly to his rooms the night before, after interrogating his former comrades and peacefully slept through the night, ignoring the emptiness beside him as his lover spent the night away from him. The reason for it was clear, the brunet having heard most of what went on behind the silver haired shinigami's door, the pained whimpers and cries of absolute agony sounding sweetly in his ears.

Awake now and fully dressed, he moved out into the corridor where his army stood in wait, each member standing at attention as he approached, his smile gone now, only to be replaced with a scowl that spoke volumes of his seriousness, their mission the day before having been an important one.

"Ulquiorra, report."

The small arrancar stepped forward and though he and Grimmjow had joined the away party halfway through the short investigation, he had learned enough details to make a compelling report. It was everything the Espada leader had hoped, mostly to do with the whereabouts of the ryoka that had aided in his escape from Soul Society. The woman with them still intrigued him more than he cared to admit but there was also the promise of having a meeting with the power orange haired boy.

"Very good. Leave me."

The ten favoured swordsmen nodded and left for their respective rooms, leaving their lord to follow as he made his way to his lover's room, the sounds of shuffled clothing and whispered words barely reaching his ears as he gently pushed the sliding door aside. Inside, the snake faced shinigami turned to stare at the intruder, immediately leaving his kimono on the edge of the bed and walking over to the larger man, throwing his arms around Aizen's shoulders.

The elder taichou growled and gifted his lover with a firm kiss, pulling away to gaze down upon the mussed bed.

Barely moving, Kira lay on the soiled sheets, groaning softly as he shifted from his side to his belly, giving the brown haired captain a view of his bare back, the pale skin marred in numerous places with the aftereffects of Gin's love. The deep furrows had obviously bled profusely and dried blood clung to the boy's sides and had run in thick rivers down to his buttocks, small handprints colouring the mounds where Ichimaru had palmed the bloody flesh.

"You were very hard on him, Gin."

A light chuckle followed the given fact as the younger taichou pulled away and again went for his upper clothing.

"You should see his front, Sousuke. I was in a bitey mood."

He tittered a little bit and lifted the heavy outfit to his shoulders, wrapping it around himself and then adding the Espada cloak, tying it securely and slipping Shinsou into his obi.

"I'm gonna go see what Jyuushiro's up to. You wanna come with me?"

"No actually. Though I appreciate the offer, Gin. I've got to visit the others a second time. Kuchiki-taichou wasn't very cooperative and Abarai-kun was as hostile as ever."

"Mou…ok. I'll see you later then!"

Then he was gone, leaving his broken fukutaichou to moan in the dirtied bed, Aizen's eyes still watching him. There was no denying the boy's beauty. He was willingly loyal and easily dominated. He smirked dangerously and closed the door behind himself as he moved back out into the hall, fighting the urge to take Gin's toy as his own for a little while.

He adjusted his groin as he moved to the next room and simply pushed the door aside, not bothering to knock again and stepping in to a pathetic but somewhat arousing sight, his pleased chuckle both ending the scene and drawing attention to himself.

Renji looked up from the bed, lifting his head from Byakuya's chest where he had been comfortably sleeping, having crawled up there during the night for what little comfort the now completely conscious nobleman could give him, gaining a smile and an arm around his shoulders. Now though, he snarled like a caged animal, slowly sliding away from his lover and standing to the side, ready for another argument and if it came down to it, a close combat tussle.

Aizen looked from the bristling redhead to the dark haired captain and smirked, knowing full well of their relationship and feeling somewhat in awe of how eagerly the younger shinigami threw himself in harms way to protect his lover.

"Again, I will ask that you relax, Abarai-kun. If I had wanted to harm you, you would have already been harmed."

"I've had enough of fuckin' relaxin'! I was awake most of the night and I heard Kira cryin' like crazy. I wanna know what the hell you bastards did to him!"

The brunet former captain allowed his smirk to fall as he darted forward and snatched the fukutaichou by his ponytail, pulling his head back and forcing him to his knees with a vicious tug, staring down with angry fire in his eyes. While still weak from the blow he received the day before, Renji was livid as he thrashed in the tight hold, wincing from the pain in his scalp, red eyes flashing to Byakuya and again silently signaling that he should stay put.

"I suggest you get to your feet and come with me then, if you so desire to see your precious Kira. Get up, Abarai-kun."

He kneed the younger shinigami in the gut before violently wrenching on his hair to make him stand up properly, holding him out in front of himself and marching the tattooed swordsman towards Gin's quarters. Using his free hand, he pushed the door open and threw the other inside, dragging the slider back again and standing in front of it to block the exit, watching as the pony tailed death god got to his feet from where he had fallen to his knees.

The blond still lay on his belly and was snoring lightly, obviously comfortable enough to have fallen into a deep sleep despite his wounds. Renji took one look at him and leveled a dark glare upon the elder man, immediately moving to the bed and leaning closer to better see the extent of the boy's damages. He was loathe to touch him because of the various fluids that covered him but he did manage to brush the hair back from his forehead, a dark bruise starting on one pale cheek. He had been struck rather hard across the face; that much was obvious.

"Which one of you did this to him?" He snarled with his head down.

"It was Gin, Abarai-kun. And it wasn't 'done to him', really. He only cried out because of the intensity of it. I assure you, the situation was entirely consensual."

"Con-…you're all sick. Ukitake-taichou included. I just wanna fuckin' kill all of you." He looked down to the blond again and stood up to face the Espada leader, his hands tightly clenched. "I'm takin' both Kira and Byakuya back with me, right now."

"And how exactly do you plan on accomplishing that? My Espada are ready to fight for me at any given time. You're outnumbered, Abarai-kun."

Crossing his arms over his chest, the elder shinigami stared at the redhead, watching the boy's reiatsu rise as each passing minute added to his anger and frustration. He knew Renji was powerful but only to a point and his bankai, while deadly, was hardly a threat when Aizen himself could stop bankai with his bare hands. He knew that the rising spirit energy would draw the attention of his subordinates and he suddenly felt as if he had to cap it before a complete ruckus broke out.

The former captain disappeared from Renji's sight but having followed Byakuya's shunpo before and now being able to see through it, the younger death god saw where the traitor was headed and cut him off, stepping between Aizen and Kira, glaring angrily at the taller form as it reappeared directly in front of him.

"Back off, Aizen! You're not touchin' him again!" He crouched down slightly and continued his glare, one hand held out in defense while the other rested on Kira's shoulder, the small patch of skin thankfully clean.

"I had no intention of touching him, Abarai-kun."

The smile that followed the elder shinigami's words made Renji's blood run cold, his body reacting too slow to pull his defensive arm away as Aizen snatched his wrist and viciously whipped it to the side, his other hand moving around to slam Renji directly in the chest.

The redhead crumpled from the painful shock that etched its way through his body, instantly collapsing his legs. Luckily, the larger man caught him and tossed him onto the bed beside the already prostrate blond, leaving him in much the same state as he had been in the night before, dark burns painted over those that had healed the tiniest bit from the first attack.

"You try my patience, Abarai-kun. I'm afraid I'll have to leave you in here now, so that I can speak with your lover without being interrupted. I have plans that need to be executed immediately and you members of the sixth division will help me immensely."

He leaned down and spoke very clearly into the younger man's ear, even going so far as to lick at the outer shell of it, almost as a tease but more than likely only to disgust the redhead.

"You will remain immobile for at least an hour and then you will lapse into unconsciousness so please, take advantage of the situation and rethink your plans through while you have time. I'm in no mood to play childish games with you. Give me a challenge or go home. Wasn't that what Zaraki-taichou used to say to you and your teammates? How right he was, the loudmouthed simpleton."

Before Renji could snap a remark in the man's direction, the brunet was gone, the door sliding shut and the telltale clomp of heavy feet echoing in the chilly corridor. The feeling of utter helplessness again crawled up his spine and he resigned himself to a second bout of depression, somehow certain that despite his power, the power of his lover and the power of Soul Society would come under attack by the dangerous shinigami.

-------------------------

His vision no longer clouded and his body feeling back to normal, Byakuya stood up from the large bed and stretched, a languid movement that would have had his lover moaning, dark eyes taking in every detail of their well furnished cell. He knew Renji had been taken and the slow pulse of reiatsu from the redhead told him that the other's energies had again been muffled by a spell of some sort.

He didn't fear for his lover's life, nor did he feel any sort of anxiety over his disappearance until the door to their room opened again, revealing the large form of the fifth division captain, his smile utterly infuriating to the injured nobleman.

"You've gone too far, Aizen. A traitor Ukitake may be, but any plans you have of myself or Renji joining you are absolutely unfounded." He glared slightly and continued. "The others will come after you once we fail to return."

Master of the flash steps, Byakuya could follow the elder man as he moved quickly enough to sweep up a breeze in the room, on edge with his arms raised in attack and his lips pulled back in an uncharacteristic snarl. It was a thrill for the brunet to see the other captain in such a state, knowing full well the attitude the regal Kuchiki normally gave.

"I'm here to offer you something, Kuchiki-taichou. Let's act like proper men of honour, shall we?"

"What do you know of honour? You betrayed the entirety of Soul Society for your own twisted plans! You nearly killed your own vice captain!"

"Hai, hai, all very interesting things that have nothing to do with the situation at hand. Now, will you hear me out and give my offer a little bit of consideration like a true gentleman would?"

The heavy sigh and hand raised to press the bridge of his nose told of Byakuya's irritation with the other man.

"What is it?"

Aizen smiled and turned his back, moving back towards the door and stepping out into the hall.

"Join me in the throne room, Kuchiki-taichou. I can better explain it there."

Begrudgingly, the dark haired captain followed his captor and with curious eyes, peered at the creatures that had come out of the woodwork to line the hall, each one with a part Hollow mask attached to their person, eyes of different shades all regarding the shinigami with hatred and malice. Byakuya hardly feared them but the animosity he felt and the reiatsu he saw in the air, worried him. He and his lover had indeed underestimated the power and influence of the former fifth division captain.

"This way, Kuchiki-taichou."

He stepped up into the large room and inwardly cringed when he didn't see his lover amongst the gathered bodies, neither did he see the third or thirteenth division captains. Not that it bothered him because he could feel the spirit energies of each missing shinigami and though two of them were dangerously weak, he knew they were safe to a degree.

---------------------

Having partly digested what the silver haired shinigami had told him about Aizen's true plan, Ukitake nodded his head numbly as they walked to Aizen's formal chambers, still uncertain as to his own place in the scheme of things and suspicious of the sudden invitation to join the elegant leader in his meeting.

"Where do I fit into all of this, Gin?"

"Naa, you're just here for my entertainment, Jyuu-kun. Sousuke wants as many captains on our side and after I told him you were all for following me, he couldn't say no. He doesn't really care what you do, as long as you're loyal to me."

The smaller man shifted his stride and slid an arm around the elder captain's waist, smiling as contentedly as if he had just been physically satisfied. The thirteenth division taichou could only sigh softly and run long fingers through his hair to settle his nerves.

"I am loyal to you, Gin. You know that. I'm just…wary of Aizen. He's never been in my good books, as you well know."

"Mm...I know. Just…try to get along with him, Jyuushiro."

The snake-like swordsman looked deeply at his grey-eyed lover, both hands lifted up to gently cup the man's face as he abruptly stopped in the hall just outside of the closed doors. The sincerity blatantly obvious on his delicate features and his use of Ukitake's full name again cautioned the elder man as to Gin's serious mood.

"Aa, I'll try."

The smile and relentless giggling from the smaller man caused Ukitake to groan slightly, not entirely in the mood for any of Gin's games, but somewhat unable to tell him that directly.

"Is something on your mind, Gin? You're a lot more…uppity than usual."

He got a chuckle and an open eyed stare from the sneaky captain.

"I broke Izuru in again last night. I've got him to the point where he obeys my every command and willingly gives himself to me, no matter what mood I'm in."

"He's alive though, isn't he? I can sense a weak reiatsu…"

"Of course, Jyuu-kun! I'm never that hard on him. I just had to put him back in his place so I can leave without him and not worry that he'll wander and cause trouble. You remember how he got imprisoned in Soul Society during the ryoka attacks, ne?"

"I remember, yes. But why would you be leaving him? He hasn't been here very long and I've only just arrived…"

-------------------------

The two creatures closest to the throne stepped forward as Aizen approached them and handed him two long wrapped packages, the atmosphere of the room almost like a coronation as opposed to a simple meeting between former comrades. Byakuya couldn't help but wonder what the elder man had planned before he arrived to greet him.

The Espada leader hefted himself up the stairway and sat in the heavily cushioned seat, grinning like a hunting snake and turning his eyes from the shinigami before him to the chamber's double doors. Byakuya turned to look as well and caught himself staring before giving the long haired thirteenth squad leader a cold look, much more frigid than his normal glares, one meant to convey his absolute disgust of the elder man's betrayal.

"Ahh, welcome Gin, Ukitake." Aizen's voice boomed from above. "You're just in time."

He smiled down at his young lover and was rewarded by a grin and a set of open red eyes, Ichimaru's interest peaked too far to allow himself to miss the coming excitement. The packaging draped over his legs was shifted and broad hands untied the heavy material, giving it a flick of his wrist and watching as it fell from the high throne but missed the floor, the brown cloth snatched out of the air by Grimmjow, the blue haired arrancar folding it neatly and tucking it under his arm.

On the Hueco Mundo lord's lap sat two swords, their hilts obvious in colour to Byakuya, who strained his eyes to see them from such a distance. Ahh, it was true. One had a red hilt, the other, white. He gritted his teeth and held his chin slightly higher.

"I can see by your facial expression that you're opposed to my possessing your zanpakutou. It was necessary to remove them from you and your fukutaichou. You couldn't have honestly thought that I'd allow enemies to keep their weapons while in my home, could you?"

The swords were lifted, both in one hand, and held aloft for the entire congregation to see, each of the arrancar with one of their own, as well as Gin and Ukitake, the latter of whom watched the unfolding situation with something akin to horror, knowing full well what the brunet leader had in mind.

"I'm not holding these items ransom, as you obviously seem to believe, Kuchiki-taichou. Your fukutaichou is hardly in a position to be wielding such a hulking object as this but shortly, I will need the power sealed within them to carry out my plan."

Byakuya's voice was gravelly with anger and displaced rage, his hands clenched into fists and his hair hanging loosely over his forehead now that it was free of the kenseikan.

"Tell me, Aizen. Tell me what our zanpakutou have to do with you."

The traitor fifth squad captain laughed heartily, drawing gasps from the arrancar crowd, most of whom never having heard their lord speak in any way other than an orderly, demanding voice.

"Your bankai, Kuchiki-taichou. I need the fully released bankai form of your zanpakutou to drain the spirit particles from Soul Society's reservoirs. I know your Senbonzakura garners its strength and its magical little petals from the particles in the very air. Your bankai however, uses up reserve energy stored by Genryuusai-dono himself."

Byakuya stared, mouth agape, his hands falling lax as finally, the madman had figured out the source of his swords immense power.

"And Zabimaru's bankai?"

"Ahh, the snake-tail. Its source is much more delicate that that. You see, rokubantai-taichou-san, that energy belongs purely to your lover. Abarai-kun's reiatsu is strong enough to power his own bankai, even if it was weak enough to be felled by you. There is an undeterminable amount of power stored within that young body and properly tapped, it has the ability to counter act the shikai and bankai of your zanpakutou."

"You're absolutely mad, Aizen. No one shinigami has the power to cancel out the abilities of a released zanpakutou."

"I didn't say he could. I said Zabimaru could. The demon primate feeds on reiatsu to survive after all. It was fate that brought you and the stray dog from Rukongai together all those years ago. What better counterpart to your energy accumulating zanpakutou, than one that can immediately dispel all of that harboured power?"

"What will you do with the swords now, Aizen? They can't be released unless you have the summoning words-"

"Chire and Hoeru, if I'm not mistaken."

His resolve broken, Byakuya turned his head away, now upset and anguished by the fact that the brilliant former captain had everything planned out, right down ton the last detail, almost as if he had planned the entire thing through, as he had done with his pretend death and subsequent exit from Soul Society.

"I won't help you. I'm not above killing you outright if given the chance. Soul Society will not stand for a second attack from you!"

"Oh, but you will help me, Kuchiki-taichou. While harmless during his stay here in Hueco Mundo, Abarai-kun's burns will heal and he'll be fine. If we take him with us on our little trip, the secondary effect of the marks will cause him to burn even more. The wounds themselves are activated by spirit particles, so if he sets foot outside of this world, or if your zanpakutou is released and starts to activate the spirit particles around him, he will literally burn to death."

The fear in the young captain's eyes was apparent now and Sousuke only laughed down from his perch, lifting a hand to signal two lesser arrancar at the back of the room, the light haired creatures dragging the seemingly heavy and obviously battered form of his lover behind them, unceremoniously dropping him in the center of the marbled floor and backing away, frightened of being in Aizen-sama's presence any more than was necessary.

"Look at him now and tell me what you plan to do. He is safe here and unless I release the brands from him, he will have to remain here. Come with me and do as I ask for the greater good, my plan, and I will decide upon a conclusion that is beneficial for both of us."

The there but almost not there nod from the regal swordsman caused Aizen to clap his hands, all but the shinigami taking their leave to man the gates of Hueco Mundo as an agreement had finally come to fruition. Pleased with himself, Sousuke jumped down from the throne and landed with a light thump just to the right of Renji's lifeless body, the slow rise and fall of his chest telling his lover that he did indeed still live.

The former fifth division captain nodded to his former lover as he kept the swords in one hand and snatched Byakuya's wrist with the other waiting for a second before Gin nodded back perceptively, as if knowing exactly what the elder man wanted. The silver haired traitor leaned off to the side and looked Ukitake in the eye, the red orbs again covered by smiling slits.

"Follow me, Gin. The time has arrived."

The look on Ichimaru's face made Jyuushiro's already weakened body shiver, the warm but decidedly serpentine arm slipping from around his waist and falling to Gin's side, breaking contact with the ill shinigami.

"Of course Anything you want, Aizen-taichou."

Ichimaru chirruped quietly and flashed frighteningly innocent eyes upon his longhaired lover.

"I'm all excited now! We're going back to Soul Society!"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM!

Warnings: Adult language. Adult situations. Angst. Possibly disturbing. Ichimaru Gin-ness that makes me happy in my pants.

Notes: Wow. Took me a while to get this one out. Things're heating up in the shinigami world! Summer heat waves and convention stress kept me away for the most part. Catching the 'Con Plague' and having bronchitis was the rest of the reason. I hope everyone enjoys it.

-----------------------

Ichimaru chirruped quietly and flashed frighteningly innocent eyes upon his longhaired lover.

"I'm all excited now! We're going back to Soul Society!"

-------------------

Blissfully unaware of the impending attack on Soul Society, its residents rested in their beds, the shinigami world on a somewhat different clock than that of the ever-dark Hollow world. To Byakuya, the darkness that enveloped his home, was a hundred times brighter than the darkness in Hueco Mundo, the difference between the two seemingly as opposite as black and white.

Where Soul Society's nighttime is only dark and the moon sheds light on the world, the pitch in the other realm was a suffocating darkness, one of mystifying clouds of reiatsu and the ever present dampness he associated with suffering.

There was a pleasant yawn to his right and he peered from his place beside Aizen, taking in Ichimaru's outstretched form, his arms above his head as the former third squad captain worked the kinks out of his joints as if coming home from a long voyage.

"Yatta! It's so nice to be back! Lookit the sky, Jyuu-kun. Isn't it pretty? Too bad we don't get stars back home, ne?"

"I suppose they are beautiful."

The two light haired men looked upward as their leader looked down from the rooftop they had landed upon, wary of the silence surrounding them. It wasn't normal for the captain commander's home to be so devoid of security but considering that the search party had only been gone a few days and the threat of Aizen returning wasn't immediate, they could very well have dropped their guard.

And time being so slow where they were, the twelve-hour window of opportunity to get to Hueco Mundo and back hardly applied. Aizen's deftness with travel between worlds also seemed to negate the time limit.

How delightful.

"Silence, both of you. Something's not right."

"Maa, but Sousuke. Everything's fine! Genryuusai-dono doesn't have a guard anymore. He sent them to watch the worst parts of Rukongai. To prevent riots. Our reports said as much less than a month after we left."

The once bespectacled lord glared slightly, then instantly smiled, as if his personalities were conflicting against each other.

"Thank you, Gin. Now, take Kuchiki-san to the Soukyou grounds. Instruct him on his duty."

He handed the short haired defector Byakuya's zanpakutou and after a brief but noticed kiss on the cheek, grinned broadly at his lover and disappeared, the dust clouds puffing up from the dirty tiles showing where he had stood.

"Come with me, Jyuu-kun. I could use the help. I doubt rokubantaichou-san will behave himself once out of Sousuke's sight."

A snarled response caused the snake-faced shinigami to glare dangerously, then revert back to his smile as well, an eerie mirror of the former fifth squad captain's action.

"I can see you're already acting up, Kuchiki-san."

"I'm hardly acting up. I'm only allowing you to see how irritated I am with being here."

Ichimaru cocked his head to the side and with his left hand fisted in Byakuya's robes, he dragged the elder man out and off of the rooftop, heading directly for the execution grounds, red eyes watching for guards and still seeing none.

A flash in front of them once they came to the Soukyou stand alerted Gin to his lover's whereabouts, the short haired Espada leader appearing before them with a broad grin on his face, his chiseled face alight with dangerous mischief.

Beside him, lay Sentarou and Kiyone, their bodies unharmed as far as Ukitake could see, his hand immediately falling to his sword, but realizing that they were asleep, or unconscious, he hesitated and removed it.

"Where were they?" he asked, concerned for them, but as his loyalties had changed, he found the love he once held for them lacking.

"In the bushes, asleep. Hardly what I would consider worthy third seats, Ukitake."

"They were useful for the duties they were assigned to. In the end, they proved their loyalty right up until I left."

"Aa, so true. So true and absolutely useless."

Aizen left them where they lay and stepped to Byakuya's side, standing in a friendly manner, his hands at his sides, Zabimaru tucked neatly into his obi, alongside his Kyôka Suigetsu, the sixth division taichou's eyes drifting to the two, inwardly seething at the nerve of the former captain.

"We will execute this here. I refuse to cause a disturbance that will barely be seen or heard throughout the inner city. I care little for the residents of Rukongai and it's only the reactions of the Gotei 13 that truly matter."

Gin nodded, as did Jyuushiro, the young Kuchiki heir's eyes moving from one man to another, trying to decide a way out without endangering himself, the rest of Soul Society or most importantly, Renji.

"What do you have planned now, Aizen?"

Dark eyes turned to him and now they smiled very little.

"A fireworks display, Kuchiki-san. Now, stand there-" He gestured to a bare patch of ground, less than ten feet from where they had gathered. "-and summon your bankai."

He moved quickly to snatch the sword from Ichimaru when the grinning captor offered it in an outstretched hand, each of the three traitors watching carefully for any sudden moves.

"Might I remind you, that your co-operation is essential to the well-being of your lover? Do as you're told, Kuchiki-san."

Begrudgingly, Byakuya held the sword in position and called out his bankai, watching dispassionately as the crafted item disappeared into the ground and the area around them grew dark, his robes billowing slightly as the immense swords grew out of the very ground. Ichimaru's eyes opened to take in the beautiful view, Ukitake's face one of confused feelings, uncertain if he should be happy for Aizen, now that his plan was in motion, or sad for Soul Society, which he loved just as dearly as his darling Gin.

Holding off the somewhat automatic attack the petals immediately used after being summoned, Byakuya kept his right hand aloft, as if ready to control them. Already, he could feel the influx of spirit particles, as they fed his power, an invisible way of backing his skill without alerting his opponent to the ability.

"You can feel it now that you're aware of it, ne, Kuchiki-san? The drain on the reserves is at a low limit, but once you perform your second stage bankai, the senkei senbonzakura kageyoshi, as you did while fighting the orange haired ryoka, and then your third stage, of which few people have ever seen, it will drain the reserves to the point of stealing energy from Genryuusai-dono himself."

Sitting down on a patch of dry grass, Ichimaru watched the goings on as if he were a child at the summer fireworks festival, his hands back behind him as they supported his upper body, bright eyes watching the petals as they danced in the breeze, eager to destroy. The conversation between the two men was seemingly private and with Ukitake by his side, he felt all right with the situation.

He tugged gently on the elder man's pant leg and looked over with an adorably pained face.

"Sit down, Jyuu-kun. I'm kinda lonely by myself."

"I want to be on my guard in case something goes wrong, Gin. Please, be more alert."

"Nothing's gonna happen. Sousuke's got the other zanpakutou. If Byakuya goes too far, he can cancel the effects easily enough. Kinda sad that the boy didn't realize it back when they fought each other, ne?"

He tugged again, this time earning a sigh and a swat, shrugging as he rolled onto his side and propped his head on an upturned hand.

"Suit yourself. When the show starts, you'll wanna be sitting down."

----------------------

Left on the floor of Aizen's throne room, Renji was ignored for the most part, as he woke and started to moan in pain, his burns healing and therefore itching terribly. He looked around from the odd position he was lying in and caught sight of the turquoise haired Espada who had nearly killed him at the gate. The creature was licking his lips and once being noticed, shifted from his place against the wall and walked over.

"You're awake, huh? Betcha that shit hurts. Aizen-sama's a hardcore sadist when it comes to torture and punishment."

The redhead glared angrily, still woozy from whatever had happened to him, his senses dulled as if nerves were only firing halfway or not at all. He managed to get to his knees and with his left hand, he cradled the right, peering at the marks, wanting to scratch the hell out of them but knowing full well that it would only bring unnecessary pain.

Irritated with being ignored, the mask toting former Hollow kicked out a leg and clipped Renji's hip, causing the boy to grunt sharply and fall to the opposite side, banging his elbow on the stone floor.

"Ahh, what the fuck was that for, you bastard!"

Grimmjow snorted and reached forward to snatch the shinigami by the hair, forcing him to stand on legs entirely too weak for the task.

"Just because I fuckin' felt like it. You're worthless anyway. Why the fuck should I care if you're comfortable or not?"

"Because he's an important part of Aizen-sama's plan, fool." Came the reply from the youngest Espada, Ulquiorra's face a mask of concealed disgust, from being left behind to watch the others. "Harm him and Aizen-sama will reward you with punishment."

"Fucker's just bein' indignant is all!" He retorted, letting go of the swordsman's hair to let him fall back to the cool floor. "He isn't worth my time anyway!"

Calculating eyes watched the tall arrancar's slow exit, noticing his shift towards the helmeted fighter's own rooms. Ulquiorra groaned mentally and silently prepared himself for a long night.

"Where's Kira, you little bastard? I know Ichimaru showed him to me but I wanna see him again…"

"You will behave in a manner appropriate for your status here. You may be important to Aizen-sama, but to me, you're only garbage."

"Yeah, well this garbage needs to kick your a-"

"That's enough, Abarai-kun! I'm here. I'm fine."

Renji turned his head too quickly and grimaced at the pop it gave, feverished mind hardly registering the oddly dressed shinigami before him.

Kira had on his normal shinigami clothes, but again, had the Espada coat on overtop, as well as a pair of soft looking house slippers. His kimono and coat were undone at the chest and underneath, Renji could see red lines where injuries marred the boy's pale skin.

"Kira!"

"Aa. It's me." The blond looked to the young arrancar and glared slightly, gutsier than he ever was in Soul Society. "Ichimaru-sama's rooms need to be cleaned. See to it."

Bowing slightly and moving quickly, Ulquiorra left, knowing that if the blond was brave enough to ask an Espada member to do his bidding, Gin had authorized it, and disobeying would mean certain doom.

Left alone again, the two Gotei 13 members stared each other down, Renji unsure of his best friend's loyalties and Kira uncertain of his feelings for the loudmouthed redhead. He wanted so badly to be with his former captain but the relationship he shared with the other was still just as important to him, regardless of Renji's love affair with his own taichou.

"Why're you doing this, Kira? We only came to bring you back."

"I'm…not going back." Came the short reply. "I belong here. With Ichimaru-sama."

Getting to his feet amidst shifting pain, Renji stepped over to his friend and clapped both hands down on his shoulders, wanting his attention as well as something to lean against.

"You belong with us. I don't know what kinda shit he's been telling you-"

"He hasn't, Abarai-kun. I'm certain this time. Ichimaru-sama hasn't done anything to make me believe otherwise."

The young fukutaichou gave the boy a shake, snapping his head back and forth rather violently, growling through clenched teeth and rocking on his tired legs.

"When did the bastard become 'Ichimaru-sama', huh? He's been Ichimaru-taichou for as long as we've been shinigami."

Kira pushed the other away and watched somewhat dispassionately as the redhead scrambled to find something to hold onto, staggering to the pillows the silver haired defector had previously sat upon.

"Ichimaru-sama's not my captain anymore. And...I'm not his vice captain. We're members of Aizen-sama's army now."

-------------------

Feeling as powerless as he ever had before in his life, the regal Kuchiki heir glared at his captor and continued to hold his bankai in check while waiting for further instructions, slowly scanning the horizon as the grey light of dawn slowly crept over the distant scenery.

"How long will you make me wait, Aizen? Dawn is approaching."

The short haired Espada leader chuckled softly and lifted his left hand, dragging Zabimaru from its battle-scarred sheath and quietly calling out its summoning word, the item lengthening and shifting to its more sinister form, was dagger edge glinting in the slowly waking light.

"I wanted there to be enough light to see my plan come to fruition. It seems the time has truly arrived." He turned to Gin, whom he smiled warmly at, ignoring the sour look he received from the white haired captain. "You may proceed, Kuchiki-san."

The words Byakuya had dreaded hearing finally reached his ears and he closed his eyes as he called forth the second stage of his all powerful ability, the petals disappearing in exchange for hundreds of brightly shining swords, each one hanging around him in a dangerously perilous way, ready to strike down his enemies. Sousuke watched with absolute interest, smiling broadly and stepping back to be out of range of the threatening weapons.

"Do it! Summon the entirety of your power so the power is drained!"

Unable to disobey, Byakuya created a massive rolling wave of petals, keeping them in a circling mass that covered the ground and sky around himself, keeping the former fifth squad captain away, but sadly enough, feeling the inner drain on the surrounding area's reiatsu. The immense generation of power would hardly go unnoticed in the desolate place and sure enough, a reiatsu that didn't belong to either of the four men crested the edge of Soukyou's outcropping.

Byakuya immediately turned to see who it was but was blocked by Aizen, his cloak floating about his body in a powerful wind generated by the moving petals, Zabimaru still held in his hand, as if he were going to use it to fend off the new arrival.

"Continue your duty, Kuchiki-san. The drain goes for as long as you hold the technique, correct? For no reason, will you stop. Keep it up until the whole of the captain commander's reserves are depleted."

"…..hai."

"Gin!"

The fox-faced shinigami was on his feet in record time and came to stand beside his lover, smiling as usual, his eyes moving from the beautiful lord to the approaching visitor.

"Want me to greet our friend, Sousuke?"

"That's exactly what I would like you to do. Make sure we're not disturbed, but allow the procedure to be seen. I want the whole of Soul Society to know how easily I defeated them a second time."

"Hai!" He chirruped, disappearing for a brief second before reappearing directly in front of the somewhat unwanted intruder, red eyes taking in the stunned look on the other's face with obvious amusement.

"Ohayo, Hitsugaya-kun!"

---------------------

Having been awakened by the inability to sleep, the child prodigy had paced restlessly for hours before wandering to his office and sitting down at his overly large desk, its top cluttered with unfinished paperwork his lax fukutaichou had failed to finish. He sighed out loud and set to work, signing the authoritative documents and writing up the reports on squad expenses and uniform requests. Each week, it seemed as if the large breasted vice captain needed a new set made because of her ever increasing bust line.

By the time dawn had rolled around, he was quite finished the work and though sleep called to him little by little, he remained in his office, more than likely because the young shinigami's day would normally start in less than an hour anyway. He yawned slightly and went to the window to watch the sunrise, something he normally neglected to do but that he had secretly enjoyed doing as a child, waking earlier than Hinamori to do it alone.

The spirit pressure he felt once reaching the large opening caught him by surprise, its level and signature unmistakably that of the sixth division captain. He furrowed his brow in confusion however. Wasn't the elder man in Hueco Mundo with his fukutaichou and Ukitake? Why would he be back so soon? And without a formal report to the rest of the Gotei 13?

Curious and a bit worried, the white haired boy ran from the building after leaving a note for Matsumoto to make tea and wait for him to return, his small legs taking him as far as they could before shunpo aided him greatly. He crested the Soukyou ridge and cringed somewhat, Byakuya's reiatsu alarmingly strong as it pushed him back. The telltale signs of the man's bankai frightened the tenth division captain and he moved faster, catching sight of four people standing on the dusty plateau.

One he had obviously recognized as the regal Kuchiki heir, another Ukitake, the man's long hair flowing about him like a cape, seemingly alive. The One off to Byakuya's right gave him some trouble before he clenched his teeth and immediately snarled, seeing the man's face and feeling instant hatred.

No doubt that it was Aizen. His large form noticeable even with the white Espada uniform on, his hand held high but not holding his own zanpakutou. Hitsugaya blinked when he saw Renji's sword in the man's fist, its shimmering edges promising damage. So, Aizen had somehow disposed of the sixth division's fukutaichou and had commandeered his sword. How befitting of the traitorous captain.

He was so near them now, the feel of the increasing reiatsu almost stifling to him, his own hand moving to his sword and thankfully so, as a form appeared before him that he hadn't even noticed, his mind too filled with sudden hatred and his eyes too filled with a frightening sight.

He managed to draw Hyourinmaru out to a defensive position but was short in noticing who his attacker was, only catching a flash of red eyes and silver hair before he was greeted in an oddly friendly manner, his mind and eyes working overtime to place them and upon doing so, he backed off and slid in the dirt, his speed putting him off balance.

He looked up from the dusty cloud and glared into the face of his most loathed of all people, the ever-grinning defector leaning down as if readying himself to humour a child much smaller than himself.

"Nice to see you, jyuubantaichou-san."

"Explain yourself, Ichimaru. Tell me what you're doing here!"

The elder man stood up straight and drew his sword, the small wakizashi non-menacing to the younger male.

"Maa, there's no need to be rude. I'm just here to welcome you to Sousuke's little display. Gotta have the gatekeeper tell you what's what when you visit the temple for a fireworks display, ne?"

"Fireworks display? What's going on here? Why has Kuchiki-taichou summoned his bankai? Why does Aizen have Abarai-fukutaichou's zanpakutou?"

Gin chuckled softly and closed his eyes again, resuming his adorably innocent look and playfully lifting Shinsou up to run his tongue down the length of the short blade, teasing the other captain with his dangerous but cute attitude.

"Sousuke's got plans for Soul Society that needed to be addressed here. We couldn't do it from Hueco Mundo."

A sharp cry from the unwilling participant caught both captain's attention and they turned to look as Byakuya moved from his second stage bankai to the third, the great white wings sprouting from his back and the halo appearing between them, the swords disappearing and conglomerating into the single white sword he now wielded. He kept it held out in front of himself, gritting his teeth and still managing to look somewhat noble in his effort, his own reiatsu now dangerously weak but remaining at a level where he could still function and not hold his bankai.

"H…how's he…keeping his bankai active? His reiatsu's almost nil!"

Gin tittered and turned his back on the smaller shinigami, still holding Shinsou where Hitsugaya could see it.

"It's feeding off of Genryuusai-dono's reserves. The old man's probably dying in his bed right now, slowly being drained of his spirit energy." He peered over his shoulder, smiling in his snake-like way.

"If Kuchiki-taichou lets that energy build up long enough, his body, though strong, isn't good enough to hold all of shobantai-taichou's power. Can't you just see it, Hitsugaya-kun?"

A blast of spirit energy from the now ailing sixth squad captain made both men shift in its given off shockwave and once the dust had settled around them again, the white haired swordsman found himself standing alone and gasped in shock as a cool hand wound its way around his throat, the glint of steel appearing in his line of sight as Gin brandished his zanpakutou like a new toy.

"Can't I hear what, Ichimaru? All I can hear are your cowardly screams when I rip your head from your shoulders."

"Tsk, tsk, jyuubantaichou-san. You're underestimating again."

He pointed to Byakuya, whose body bore the marks of his lengthy session, his forearms nearly burned by the force of the energy flowing through his sword. His wings had grown in size and the distance Aizen had to stand from him had increased greatly, the brunet now more than a hundred meters from the grimacing captain.

"You see how he's struggling with the amount of power he's absorbing, Hitsugaya-kun?"

"He's suffering. That's plain enough to see, you bastard."

"Maa, be nice. I'm only explaining things to you." He chided. "Now, in the summertime, you know how mosquitoes will drink until they fill themselves, then they fly away to do whatever it is they do with our precious life essence?"

"Yes."

"Well, when one is drinking from you, you can pinch the skin on either side of it, forcing a large amount of blood into them. Their tiny bodies can't handle such a large amount coming so quickly and they explode."

The ice sword wielding taichou choked and turned to face the other, only getting a glimpse of a ferally grinning visage.

"They…explode?"

Gin pointed with one lanky finger, indicating the struggling captain's impending demise and even going so far as giving it a soundtrack of its very own, the boy's eyes following, suddenly wide open.

"Pop!"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM!

Warnings: Mansecks. Adult language. Adult situations. Creepiness frightening enough to give the author nightmares. -wuss-

Notes: Yay, chapter nine! What do I have to say besides that? Nothing! -throws streamers and random confetti- I've been sick and though other fics and one-shots have been updated before Dark Path, I'm working hard to get it out faster. You demanding readers and reviewers are to blame! Shame on you for liking my work so much. Have a heart! XD

------------------------

Renji could hardly believe his ears.

"You're what? There's no fuckin' way we're gonna let you stay!"

The blond snorted softly and rested his left hand on Wabisuke's hilt, simply keeping it there as if amused by the other's outburst.

"You don't have a choice, Abarai-kun. Aizen-sama wants Ichimaru-sama to stay, and I'm not going back without him." He turned his head away slightly. "You wouldn't understand the reason."

Wanting to be on his feet but hurting far too much to do so, Renji angrily punched one of the plush pillows and snarled, listening to it echo in the cavernous room.

"Are you fuckin' stupid, or what? He's not worth giving up your life for! I mean, look at the goddamn bruises on your chest! There's probably a shitload more that I can't see too, right?"

The once-timid shinigami turned back to glare at his friend, livid with him for being so rude about his lover but also still so conflicted about the entire plan. He still wanted to see Hinamori-kun. He still wanted to spend hot summer afternoons drinking sake with Renji in the Court's central garden. It pained him to think of how he had left behind all the treats he loved, the spiced tarts they bought in Rukongai and the delicate sakuramochi that the redhead handmade himself.

Though blinded by the insane itching and burning in his forearms, Renji still saw the glint of tears at the corners of the other's eyes and he instantly felt somewhat better, pleased that something he had apparently said had gotten through to the poor brainwashed youth.

He was about to get up but Kira moved too quickly for him, closing the distance between them and curling himself up on the redhead's lap, burying his face against the larger man's chest. He was immediately sobbing uncontrollably and Renji, slightly unsure of what to do, wrapped his arms around the shuddering form and held him tightly.

There was no denying the unhappiness in the blond's reiatsu as it wavered between powerful and weak enough to be nonexistent, the powerful bursts of it just strong enough that Renji could sense it.

"O...oi, what're ya doin'? I thought you were all happy and shit here?"

Warm breath blew over his neck as the blond breathed deeply, trying to calm himself, absolutely embarrassed for having broken down but feeling immensely better because of it, his body slowly returning to normal. He sniffled lightly, an action the other shinigami found endearing.

"I don't really want to stay, Abarai-kun. Ichimaru-taichou's still the way he always was but it's different now because of Aizen-taichou's presence. He's...wrong, somehow."

"Mmhmm. He's a cold bastard but now that you've been away from him for a while, you're finally noticin' it."

"N…no, that's not it."

Renji let the boy go when he struggled a bit, allowing him to remain seated beside him, one arm still wound around the boy's slim waist.

"The fuck it's not. Tell me the truth, Kira. You wanna come home."

Tears started again in the dark, moody looking eyes and immediately the redhead felt bad for forcing the issue.

"I do. I'm going to miss Soul Society too much." He fingered the hem of his white cloak, looking away somewhat embarrassedly.

"I'm going to miss you too much as well, Abarai-kun."

--------------------------

With the sixth division fukutaichou's sword held aloft, Aizen smirked at the others sharing the Soukyou grounds, watching as the power emanated and shifted from Byakuya's body like a great heat wave, the pained expression on his face thrilling the fifth squad defector.

Only a few minutes more, Kuchiki-san. You're doing wonderfully, if I may say so."

Dark eyes flickered to the other and a look of hatred crossed them, along with a sharp gasp of inner pain as his body nearly reached its limit, desperately needing to release his bankai to recuperate. The amount of power he was draining from the eldest of the shinigami was waning and he feared the worst for the bearded captain commander.

Away from them, Gin chuckled to himself as he entertained the youngest among them, Hitsugaya's eyes moving between the confronting third captain and the goings on in front of the giant zanpakutou's stand.

"You need to stop this, Ichimaru! Kuchiki-taichou can't handle any more and neither of you bastards belong here anymore! I won't hesitate to bring the others here to stop you!"

The silver haired traitor stopped his polite chuckling and leveled a stare on the boy, red eyes gleaming with malice before he jumped out of the way and landed back beside his former captain, Shinsou held out delicately in one hand, poised for an attack.

"You'll find an attack almost useless, Hitsugaya-kun."

"Why's that?" The ice wielding shinigami snarled. "You're nothing I can't handle."

"If Sousuke releases Abarai-kun's zanpakutou to dispel Kuchiki-taichou's bankai, there's gonna be a bit of a bang."

Realization dawned in the boy's sea green eyes again, the orbs wide as he breathed heavily, looking from Aizen's outstretched hand to Byakuya's struggling form, the size of the man's wings seemingly smaller than they had been a mere minute before. Judging the moment to be right, the elder man called forth Renji's shikai and turned in a half circle with it still held aloft, suddenly bringing it down heavily upon the Kuchiki heir's sword, shattering the white form. The explosion was minimal but it was enough to cause each other shinigami to gasp out loud, Byakuya's body falling gracelessly onto the hard packed soil.

From Aizen's other side, Ukitake watched the unfolding event with apprehension apparent on his face, a hand on the hilt of his sword as if worried over the impending situation.

"How far are you going to go, Aizen? I didn't join your side only to kill my former comrades!"

The once bespectacled traitor smirked dangerously as he lowered Zabimaru from its position, noticing the white haired captain's hesitation.

"You were not officially selected by me for my cause, Ukitake. To me, you are a simple commodity that my lover wished for. Now that my plan is being carried out-" His smile faded and his eyes lost their friendly sparkle. "-you are useless to me."

Immediately, the thirteenth division captain jumped back, putting space between himself and the brown haired madman, watching his lover as the eternally smiling taichou growled in anger, each one of them ignoring Byakuya's obviously lifeless form.

"You said I was allowed to keep him, Sousuke! You never said you were gonna scare him and make him all afraid of being with me!"

The familiarity with which Aizen lashed out and slapped the younger captain frightened both Ukitake and Hitsugaya, the younger of whom backed up even further, seemingly ready to retreat.

Ichimaru held the side of his face as he glared childishly, hurt by the blow, his red eyes wide but devoid of tears a normal person would have shown.

"S…Sousuke. What was that for?"

"You're becoming an irritance, Gin. I suggest you mind me next time. I'm not a mere subordinate that you can play with."

A tiny nod and a bow came from the short haired shinigami and he dropped his hand as he turned towards Ukitake, his smile again in place, the brilliant visage marred only by the angry red of his inflamed cheek.

"Sorry, Jyuu-kun. Looks like you're not allowed to come home with me."

The second the spirited third division leader looked away from the elder man, the alarms sounded through the entirety of Soul Society, windows in Seireitei lighting up as the inhabitants lit their candles and struggled to see what the commotion was about. Aizen turned to watch Hitsugaya as he disappeared, not to reappear again until he was off of the Soukyou grounds, headed back towards the Court's headquarters.

His dark gaze moved from the broad expanse of dry ground to the heavily breathing captain lying in the dirt, Byakuya's clothes streaked with blood where he had been struck by his own energy, his visible skin reddened from the heat his bankai had generated. There was little left of the heavy shinigami uniform cloth at his wrists, most of it burned off from the radiant heat of the powerful ability he had suffered throughout for so long.

Dispassionately, Aizen walked over to him and threw Zabimaru down in the dirt next to Senbonzakura, the cracked, warped blade lying uselessly to his right hand side.

"Gin! Take Kuchiki-san with you and return home. The initial job has been completed successfully. We will wait out the secondary plan in Hueco Mundo."

The younger man nodded and moved quickly, almost as if the argument and physical altercation had not even happened. Ukitake watched with disgust as his once loving partner acted so obviously under the influence of the other man's dominance.

"Ukitake." The sickly male looked up at the mention of his name. "You may do as you wish. Return home with us and become part of Gin's harem, or remain here and feign indifference for another thousand years. It makes no matter to me which you choose."

Angered to the point of upset, Ukitake coughed suddenly, doubling over and discreetly spitting blood into the grass, the third division captain watching him with a sad look before turning back to Aizen and again switching over to his happier persona.

"Maa, maybe you should stay here, Jyuu-kun. The traveling must be too much for you."

In Ichimaru's arms now, Byakuya lay, easily scooped up by the slim shinigami and unconscious of the goings-on, the stolen swords tucked into Gin's belt, where he had placed them before picking the elder man up. The sneaky captain grinned brightly at his former lover and stepped away from Aizen's side, the same brilliant light that had surrounded them on the day they had defected appearing again, surrounding the pair, as well as their leader in a separate beam.

The telltale sounds of approaching bodies and the press of powerful reiatsu caused the traitors to move more quickly, ascending into the sky and disappearing into the enormous hole above the Soukyou, thankfully devoid of Hollows of any kind. The entirety of the eleventh division breached the top of the grounds and ran towards Ukitake, his eyes wide and body heaving as he came down from a rather nasty bout of coughing.

He was lucky enough to have been spared, but he was again left in the land he no longer loved. Two more divisions appeared suddenly, half of the fourth and the whole of the tenth, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto glaring dangerously at him, the feeling of absolute terror slowly sinking its way into his diseased bones.

Surely they would be lenient with him because of his past duties and loyalty to Soul Society. They couldn't possibly treat him as a traitor, could they?

"Ukitake-taichou."

"Hai, Hitsugaya-taichou?" He responded politely, afraid of the child prodigy now that he was angered and speaking too formally for a friendly meeting.

"You're to come with us to the Court. Under the orders of shobantai-fukutaichou Sasakibe Chojiro, you're being arrested for treason against Soul Society."

The longhaired captain nodded and gave the boy a curious look, peering from one grim face to another, avoiding the gaze of the eleventh squad members entirely.

"I have a question."

"Of course."

"Why are the orders from Sasakibe-fukutaichou? Why did Genryuusai-dono not give them himself?"

Every shinigami on the outcropping cringed at the mention of the eldest shinigami, Matsumoto lowering her head respectfully and turning away to sob quietly into her hand.

"He was found dead in his quarters twenty minutes ago. He was a husk, Ukitake. There was no spirit energy left in him."

The elder man gasped at the reason, turning his head and angrily cursing the former fifth squad captain, keeping himself silent as two of the larger low-seated members of the tenth division took him into custody, heavy cuffs placed around his wrists which immediately dampened his own reiatsu.

He couldn't tell the younger swordsman what had happened, worried about what would happen to him if he were found to be a true traitor, not wanting to suffer the death reserved for such criminals. He lowered his head and nodded as the men walked him away from the battle scene, Hitsugaya frowning at the barren sight, seeing no sign of the other men and connecting the fizzle in the sky just as he had returned as a healing hole that led to Hueco Mundo.

Unable to keep up the fight against his illness because of his weakened reiatsu, Ukitake suddenly collapsed in the arms of his captors, falling heavily to his knees before they hefted him up and draped him over the shoulder of the right hand shinigami, the men picking up their pace to get him to the fourth squad's headquarters, the corresponding squad following behind and sending a messenger ahead of them to ready the emergency room.

The strawberry blonde shinigami looked to her troubled captain and rested a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him without saying too much.

"You saw what you saw, taichou. He's the last one we thought would ever betray us but if it's the truth, there's nothing we can do about it. Please, don't worry yourself over it."

"I'm not going to worry over it, Matsumoto. He'll be judged to the full extent of the law and will face the consequences accordingly. Ukitake is a strong man. He won't be broken by this."

The woman peered at him, seeing the sadness behind his sea green eyes.

"Taichou?"

"Soul Society is in danger of being commandeered by Aizen. Now that Genryuusai-dono is dead-" The young fukutaichou sucked in a shuddering breath again. "-there's no one left to defy him. He's the strongest out of all of us, Matsumoto. With a zanpakutou that carries such a devious ability, we're all in danger."

--------------------------

In Ulquiorra's room, the dark haired Espada sat naked against the headboard with each wrist in a tight shackle, his eternally sad face torn by a frightened frown, his captor standing nude at the end of the bed, one hand firmly stroking himself as he climbed up and crawled towards the small arrancar.

"You're everyone's whore around here, eh? Nice to know ya get worked from all angles even when I'm not around."

The turquoise haired sixth Espada snickered as he slid both hands up the other's slim legs, parting them and tugging down on them so Ulquiorra would slide down onto his back, his boyish frame stretched out because of the manacles, revealing each delicious hollow and curve that the elder creature longed to suckle at.

"I kinda hope that red-haired shinigami bastard stays after Aizen-sama returns. He's kinda pretty. I wouldn't mind givin' his ass a good welcome."

The smaller of the two shuddered and let out a shaky moan as his flaccid member was licked at, not noticing when Grimmjow had bent over to give it such loving attention, his teeth gritted to prevent a loud gasp but unable to hold it in once the larger man took the entirety of its length into his mouth and sucked hard.

It was hardly a lengthy session however, Ulquiorra's chest heaving from the mind numbing pleasure, bright eyes barely open before they widened and stared, a thick, twitching organ presented directly before him, his body shifting to sit up again.

"Open up."

He opened his mouth and was immediately slipped into, choking slightly on the length of it before closing his lips around as much as he could and working his tongue on the flushed head, already tasting the precome gathered in the tiny hole. If nothing else, Grimmjow was easy to arouse and even the suggestion of a sexual situation had him hard and wanton.

"Mmm that's it. Good boy. It's no wonder Aizen-sama keeps ya around…"

It was a lie, both men knowing that Ulquiorra was one of the army's best recruits.

"Maybe bite me a bit. Ahh fuck yeah. That's good."

The young arrancar was used to being used so it didn't faze him too much but he still secretly loathed how easy he was to seduce, too enamoured by the faint pleasure he got from servicing others to stop. He suckled heartily, nibbling at the head each time the larger man pulled out a little, gagging once when he was filled too much, drool running down his chin, desperately wanting to let the cock go so he could slurp it up and continue.

Not wanting to release inside the delightfully warm cavern, Grimmjow slid out and sat back on his heels, gesturing the for other to slide back down and spread his legs, a well used jar of salve used again and set back onto the side table, a slicked hand working feverishly at hot, throbbing flesh. He wasn't one for foreplay usually and Ulquiorra knew that, hefting his legs up close to his chest to better present himself, his hidden entrance twitching as he anticipated the sudden pain the coupling would bring.

Grunting out loud, the larger Espada crouched down and with his damp hand to guide him in, pressed firmly up against the tight hole and popped inside, amidst a pained shout from the other and a hissed vocalization from himself, the grip unbearably tight, almost painful to him.

"Ahh fuck, you're always so goddamn tight. Maybe I need to work ya better, ne?"

The boy whimpered and shook his head, in great pain but sacrificing his own enjoyment for the moment, knowing that shortly, it would be exquisite from his end as well. Tied up as he was, he couldn't help himself as his cock rose from the dirty goings-on, a blush creeping up over the bridge of his nose and a gasp of pleasure torn from his throat as Grimmjow thrust the rest of the way inside, burying himself with a groan borne of the animalistic claiming.

From the throne room, Renji and Kira could hear the act as they sat together, uncertain of what to make of it but unwilling to go find out.

Of course, Ulquiorra had never been taught to be silent with his pleas, one of the first lessons he had learned was that Aizen loved his subordinates to be loud, even while being pleasured or while pleasuring themselves, an act the new leader insisted upon, especially when he was in a rather excitable mood and wasn't feeling up to a formal coupling, forcing the young arrancar to perform for him and his silver haired lover on a nearly daily basis at one time.

Again, he was forced, this time to submit to the larger creation, his body reacting positively as he moaned openly now, enjoying the powerful thrusts of the short haired arrancar, his eyes closed and head tossed off to one side, ignoring the pain in his wrists and the asleep feeling in his hands.

"Fuck, you're too hot, Ulquiorra. Ya don't even give me enough time to enjoy ya before I bust one off." The rude swordsman grunted. "Awww yeah, here it comes…"

He arched his back and cried out sharply as he came, pumping white hot into the smaller form, his hands gripping tightly enough to bruise the slim hips, the boy's bed shaking violently as Grimmjow shuddered his completion.

Not one for staying to cuddle, he crawled away and went to clean himself off before redressing and uncuffing the small, sleepy form, noticing his quickly the other's erection had faded once he himself had finished. It mattered little to him, whether or not the other Espada member got off and with a smirk, he slapped the rolling over boy's ass and headed for the door, a rush of cool air entering as he slid the screen aside.

In the hall, the highest ranking members of the army stood poised at the throne room doors, in chronological order, suggesting the arrival of their leader, Grimmjow immediately calling to Ulquiorra to get ready as well.

Minutes later, the hall was again filled with the telltale reiatsu mist of both Gin and Aizen, each arrancar watching the two men as they approached and passed by, dangerous sets of eyes taking in the limp shinigami form carried in Ichimaru's arms. Not one said anything, as were their orders, only to speak when spoken to and to not bother Aizen-sama's ears with their useless rhetoric.

The inner sanctum doors opened immediately as the former fifth captain stepped up to them, dark eyes taking in the sight of Renji on the floor with Kira kneeling beside him, the redhead obviously still hurt but the blond was not, his own dark eyes staring like a frightened animal in a spotlight.

"Ichimaru-sama! Aizen-sama!" he couldn't help but noticed that Ukitake hadn't returned with them but he held his tongue in fear of Aizen.

"Aa, Izuru. Calm for a minute."

The boy immediately fell silent at his captain's command, climbing to his feet and leaving the broken fukutaichou as he had fallen asleep under the gentle touch of the blond's hand, no doubt soon to wake due to the commotion the men's return was causing.

"Kira-kun. Go to your quarters. Leave Abarai-kun where he is."

Hesitant but obedient, the boy nodded and followed the larger man's request, sparing a glance at the waking redhead, feeling bad for him and still worried for his safety. Gin meanwhile, had placed the other shinigami down beside the man's lover and stepped back to Aizen's side, smiling creepily.

"The rest of you!" The brunet called out to the hall. "Gather the new recruits and surround the palace. There is a war on its way and I would like my home to be as fortified as possible. Ulquiorra! Grimmjow!"

The two asked for arrancar approached the taller man and bowed respectfully, Grimmjow lifting his head first and smirking at the former captains, earning a grin from Gin and a sour frown from Sousuke.

"I want the two of you to guard Abarai and Kuchiki-san. This room is the safest because it has only the one entrance and exit. Do not let them leave and do not, under any circumstances, leave them alone together. Is that understood?"

They nodded and got up, bowing again before they staked out their positions on either side of the grand doors, settling in for a long haul and knowing that they could wait forever if need be, never having to truly eat or sleep to survive.

To his young lover, Aizen now turned, smiling somewhat crookedly as he took the man's chin in one large hand and held it tightly as he kissed him hard, earning a shocked moan from the silver haired taichou and a quick movement of limbs as he slipped his arms around the taller man's neck. He pulled away, only to snarl at the younger shinigami and move him in the direction of the doors, barking orders at him as if he were one of his own troops and not his bed warmer.

"I suggest you take another look at your fukutaichou, Gin. He was again in Abarai-kun's presence. They are far too close to each other for comfort."

His final words before Ichimaru stalked off to correct the blond echoed in the large room and the hall, no doubt heard by Kira, who lay on his bed curled up on his side, a cold chuckle following the harsh order.

"If you cannot correct him and prove to me that he is indeed loyal, he will be disposed of, Gin. I will not allow him to be sent back to Soul Society because he knows too much. That means his death."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM!

Warnings: Darkness. Depression. Angst. Shonen-ai. No mansecks. Uh-oh! Upset within the ranks! AU (please keep in mind that this is all ALTERNATE UNIVERSE and the ideas I write are my own. This is NOT meant to be taken as canon.) Oh…and character death. Times two. Please forgive me.

Notes: I'm trying to make this fic a little cleaner during the last few chapters so there will be little secks and more plot. If you want naughtiness, go to my other fics from here on out. –laughs- Thank you btw, to my dear readers and reviewers. You guys have given me such pride in my work. And thanks for waiting during my time away. I'm almost finished with the marital stuff and I'll be settled again shortly.

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Ukitake had paced his cell fourteen hundred times. On the last step of the fourteen hundredth, the white haired captain sat down on his bunk and closed his eyes, weakened by the effort it took to walk and suddenly feeling very sorry for himself, his predicament no better than the day they had arrested him.

Three days had passed and during the night he slept, but during the day he paced, trying to clear his head and make a true decision on where he stood. He wanted to be with Gin but he feared Aizen, and he wanted to put up a good front to his shinigami comrades but he feared their reprisal over his supposed betrayal. Supposed, to most of the populace. To Hitsugaya, the other light haired taichou was absolutely guilty.

He sighed in the near darkness and only lifted his head from where it hung to stare into the shadows just outside of the barred room, candlelight from the corridor lighting the single figure that stood there. Ukitake had not heard the door open. Nor had he heard permission from the lone guard outside for someone to enter. He squinted and got up, grunting as his ill body refused to co-operate properly, approaching the figure, which now he noticed wore a shinigami uniform.

"Who's there? I was told that I wasn't allowed to have visitors."

The shadowed form moved forward into the moonlight that spilled through the bars, supplied by the tiny window that resided in the man's cell. Jyuushiro gasped and stared, unable to take his eyes off of the dark haired man, his hands shaking as he lifted one to cover his mouth, hiding his look of absolute wonder.

"K…Kaien?"

The deceased shinigami smiled, his eyes closing from the width of it. Not one to be so shocked by anything, his former captain's actions made him chuckle quietly.

"How ya doin', Taichou? Ya look kinda bad off, ne?"

The elder man nodded and lowered his hand, trying to look as calm as possible but no doubt failing in the young Shiba's eyes. He stepped closer again and held a hand out, frowning noticeably as it passed right through the now apparent apparition.

"A ghost…"

Kaien laughed again and shimmered through the cell's bars, easily folding his limber self onto the captain's bunk, not even indenting the sheets or the mattress itself.

"I'm kinda surprised ya thought otherwise. I've been gone a long time."

Ukitake lowered his head and grimaced as he spoke. "I know. I've…missed you, Kaien."

The happy look on the boy's face disappeared and he frowned as well, a sight few ever saw when he was alive, the uppity nobleman normally smiling away and causing a ruckus somehow or another.

"Ya miss _him_ more than _me_, Taichou." The sadness in Kaien's voice was unmistakable. "He's bad for ya. Let him be with Aizen-taichou. I don't wanna see ya get shit on just 'cause you're too kind to let him go."

Ukitake grit his teeth and shuffled a little bit closer, wincing and doubling over from a sudden sharp pain in his side, a light coughing fit breaking out before he calmed himself and looked up into the dead man's serene face.

"And you're not gettin' any better health-wise either."

"It's not that easy, Kaien. Aizen's got…"

"The sixth division guys. I know. Ya need to make a decision, Taichou. I'm kinda here to see it through for ya."

The thirteenth squad captain blinked and settled himself onto the lone chair in the center of the cell.

"What do you mean? You're a ghost, Kaien. My muddled mind is no doubt playing games with me."

"You'd be surprised. Now, gimme an idea of what you're gonna do. I can't wait forever for ya."

The sickly swordsman sighed and blinked back the beginning of depression-induced tears.

"I want out. I want to go back to him, even if he doesn't want me. Even if it kills me."

The regal Shiba smiled and slipped himself back out through the bars to stand before the heavy, high class binding sealed lock. One handedly, he tore it off, the steel falling soundlessly to the floor and the small door swinging open on a seemingly oiled hinge. Ukitake remembered it squealing loudly when he was placed inside. He stared at his former fukutaichou and moved to embrace him as he had in the past but only touched air, the man's form gone again.

He could hear Kaien's laughter as he looked around in shock and then took to the other, unbarred window upon hearing his guard outside shuffling around, hopping out of it and down to the second rooftop, only looking back for a second and not seeing what he had hoped for. The streets were surprisingly empty but considering the other Seireitei inhabitants were probably on their way to Hueco Mundo to fight Aizen, it made some sense. There had to be a way for him to get back there as well, to confront his lover and Aizen without being caught.

He frowned and disappeared as he headed for the Soukyou grounds in the hopes that he could be transported back the way Aizen had been, the dead shinigami's last words echoing in his mind, only heard by himself as the figure had no doubt been a figment of his imagination.

"Tch. Since when did ya believe in ghosts, Taichou?"

-----------------------------

Aizen meanwhile, had begun preparations for the coming attack on Hueco Mundo, sparing no expense or time to making sure everything was secure, his arrancar army remodeled and set around the perimeter, the first line of defense against the soon to be arriving shinigami.

He watched from his place in the main corridor as various Espada moved teams of former hollows to their destinations, keeping his closest allies within the building to prevent a total massacre of those that dwelled within.

Alone now since Gin was busy, Sousuke made his way to his private chambers and settled in for a little bit, sitting on the large, overly plush cushions Ichimaru so enjoyed while visiting, the captive's zanpakutou on the floor beside him. He sighed out loud and rubbed at his temples, still as human as his shinigami brethren and just as susceptible to headaches and fatigue.

To his private ward, a small arrancar created for the simple act of running errands, he gave a message for the former third division captain to join him until the fun began, waiting patiently while the red haired creature delivered the summons. He was pleased to see the blond vice captain at his lover's side, his arms hanging limply at his sides as he walked dejectedly, no doubt having been verbally reprimanded beforehand. The lack of fresh marks on the boy's pale skin suggested the same.

"We have less than a day until the others arrive, Gin."

The silver haired captain smiled and nodded, shoving Kira in front of himself with a hand on the back of his neck, watching as the blond fell to his knees before the brilliant Espada leader.

"Hai, hai. I know. He's gonna be taken care of right now." He was secretly trying to show the other how obedient he himself could be, wanting Aizen to forgive him for his previous infraction back in Seireitei. "Smile, Izuru. Aizen-taichou wants to see how beautiful and loyal you are."

Moving so that the young shinigami could see him, Aizen gripped Izuru by the chin and lifted him viciously, dragging him to a set of sealed doors, the binding art used on them of a level the blond had never seen before. One touch of Aizen's finger and the energy bands gave way, the set of double doors spilling open to reveal Kaname Tousen bound with a similar spell, his chin against his chest. He was no doubt dead, the lack of reiatsu and anything remotely spiritually based giving the young shinigami cause to gasp in fright.

"T…Tousen-taichou!"

Aizen fisted his other hand in the boy's hair and held his head back so he was forced to look up into the leader's eyes.

"That's what will happen to you if you so much as think about betraying me. Abarai-kun is dead to you, do you hear me? Your only desire should be to serve Gin and myself, Gin especially, as you have in the past."

The blond blinked and nodded as much as he could, cringing as he was tossed aside, catching himself with both hands on the floor and staying put, his eyes on the young taichou's feet. He refused to move, even when Gin tried to comfort him with a hand on his head, his hair mussed by Aizen's hand as he angrily slapped the hand away.

"Sousuke!"

"This is punishment, Gin. For both of you. Kira-kun will remain here and you will not be allowed access to him again." He turned away as he so often did when a conversation had ended, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Is that understood?"

The fox-faced captain glared angrily, his eyes open instead of being happily squinted shut, his mouth drawn into a hard little line instead of its casual smirk. His voice was poisonous with sudden hatred.

"Hai, _Aizen-taichou_."

----------------------------

"But he's got fuckin' _wounds_, Ulquiorra. He's gonna bleed all over the fuckin' floor if I don't move him."

"Aizen-sama said to watch them, not touch them."

"Yeah, but he's gonna be pissed if the bastard dies, right? Then we'll get in shit because it was on _our_ shift."

The little arrancar rolled his eyes and moved to help the turquoise haired Espada, viciously kicking Renji as he reached weakly for them. It wouldn't do to have him up and about during their duty with Byakuya.

The elder shinigami's haori was already shredded in places so Grimmjow tore a long strip of it off and wrapped the poor nobleman's hands and arms, the cloth not soaking through right away so it was obvious to them, despite his nearly vanished reiatsu, that he was healing up.

Renji was left alone, his arms not dripping vital fluid like his lover's, so he was ignored for the most part. Nasty by nature, the taller man gave him a sharp kick to the young shinigami's gut as he passed by, the movement not responded to due to the redhead's unconscious state, caused by Ulquiorra's attack just minutes before.

"He's gonna have bruises now too, ya fuckin' retard. How're ya gonna explain it to Aizen?"

"Aizen-_sama_, Grimmjow. Don't ever let him hear you talking so easily about him."

"Fuck off. He's not the one I'm scared of." The blue haired Espada sighed and ran a hand over his face, making a disgusted noise at the sight of the two beaten shinigami. "I'm goin' for a walk."

Ulquiorra was instantly on edge, green eyes wide as he stared at his comrade.

"Are you so stupid as to ignore Aizen-sama's orders like that?"

The larger man nodded as he walked off, turning to flip the little arrancar off and stepping into the hall's doorway at the same time, bumping headlong into Ichimaru, who had stomped out of his lover's quarters upon being reprimanded and denies access to his toy.

"Watch where you're goin' assho-" But he couldn't finish as the angered third squad captain caught him before he could even see who he was dealing with, a thin-fingered hand wrapping around his throat and squeezing dangerously.

"Were you addressing me, Grimmjow Jaggerjack? Do you even know your worth with me right now?"

The boorish Espada's eyes went wide as the other squeezed even more tightly around his neck, now starting to struggle because of the strength behind the frail looking body. He shook his head in answer to Gin's question and gasped as the man's thumb pressed against his Adam's apple, providing a new kind of hurt.

"Nothing. You're nothing to me."

The helmeted young arrancar stood bowed before the unfolding scene, unsure of what to do because duty instructed him to look the other way. He barely managed to stifle a shocked sound as the silver haired captain lifted his other hand and held it against his teammate's forehead, pushing him away as he drew him closer with the other.

The sickening sound of Grimmjow's head being pushed back over his shoulders beyond its limits and his vicious wail of agony echoed through the hall and corridor, the sounds quickly followed by Gin's laughter, a child-like, lilting sound that caused gooseflesh to break out on Ulquiorra's forearms.

The broken body fell to the floor once the shinigami let go of it, lifelessly crumpling into an oddly shaped heap, not even a choked sound of pain coming from it. The once proud arrancar was no longer a member of Aizen's army. After all, how could a dead man serve and fight?

"Bloody arrancar. None of you know your place." He stared directly at Ulquiorra as he spoke, nearly spitting the words in his enraged state. He moved to approach his fallen shinigami brethren but was stopped by the miniscule Espada, red eyes staring down into frightened but defiant green ones.

"I suggest you mind your own business, little one. I'm not above destroying you too."

"Aizen-sama said that we were to watch them until he indicated otherwise."

"I'm the 'otherwise'. Now, move aside."

The small fighter hesitated before starting to move, immediately stayed by a hand on his shoulder, his look of sudden fright making the newcomer chuckle, his reiatsu obviously that of their brown haired leader.

"Stay where you are, Ulquiorra. I'm afraid that Gin has overstepped his authority on this matter." He gestured towards Grimmjow's broken body and frowned for a brief second.

"Clean that up and then return to your post. It seems that you'll be doing the job alone for the duration."

"Hai, Aizen-sama."

The two men ignored the smaller swordsman and squared off against each other, Gin staring with red-eyed hatred and Aizen smirking in his devilish way, one hand lifting to run through his hair.

"Leave me alone, Sousuke. I'm not in the mood for your games."

The former captain chuckled and held a hand out, Kira's adjutant badge resting in his palm.

"You're hardly in a position to give orders, Gin. Your dear Izuru hangs in the balance here, doesn't he?"

"Yes, but Jyuushiro's still in Soul Society."

The Espada leader clucked his tongue. "You left him behind. He's worthless garbage to you, Gin. He'll be judged by those shinigami left behind while the war surfaces and he'll surely be put to death. Treason against Soul Society is hardly tolerated."

Ichimaru flinched at the mention of his former lover being killed and clenched his hands into fists, his right one itching to snatch Shinsou from its sheath and attack the elder man, having finally come to the realization that perhaps the other shinigami had been wrong all along.

"Everything I love is worthless in your eyes, Sousuke! Jyuushiro, Izuru, my own worth in Seireitei! What does my loyalty mean? What does anything mean?"

The stench of old blood and fester was rank in the air and both men ignored it in favour of holding their ground, Ichimaru afraid of Aizen's true power and Aizen afraid of the coming war, knowing that the best of Soul Society's fighters would be coming.

As both men reached for their zanpakutou their world brightened as if a thousand fires had been lit, Ichimaru immediately cowering from it and Aizen glaring dangerously towards its source, the high windows of the grand room illuminated by the unseen force. It was no doubt an opening between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society, the heavenly world's light spilling into the land of perpetual twilight.

Snarled orders and hollered answers came from the outside corridor, the arrancar soldiers fortifying the palace and protecting what lay within.

"_The four of you, outside now! Watch the second post!"_

"_Hai! Keep a line inside for Aizen-sama!"_

"_Yammi, take the twelve behind you and go to the tear! Keep them from gaining any ground before we can assemble!"_

"_You! The group there! Stand with them and be their second line! The shinigami won't be prepared for this much defense!"_

Aizen chuckled before he dropped his hand from his sword's hilt, turning away from the still angry third division taichou, moving out towards the hall in an unhurried fashion, knowing that he was staying indoors regardless of the situation beyond the building's walls.

"The time has arrived, Gin. Our former comrades will be here shortly. What are you going to tell them once they arrive? Are you with them or against them?"

The flare in Ichimaru's eyes made the elder man grin broadly and Kira's badge was suddenly tossed down at his feet as the brunet turned to see his face.

"You can bet that Ukitake is dead, or will be in the next few days. Treason is a far more serious act than anything, save for killing a fellow shinigami and lo and behold, he was witnessed in our company, the very ones who took the life of the shobantai-taichou."

Gin's glare disappeared and he looked more shocked than anything, only just realizing that if no one else took responsibility for the death of Genryuusai-dono, his lover would be put to death, slowly bending down to retrieve his young toy's vice captain insignia.

Again Aizen turned away, this time speaking as he left, having caught the frightened and saddened look on his former fukutaichou's face and priding himself on it.

"Kira-kun was very distressed before I took his life. At least it's done with now. Keep in mind Gin, that I'm the only one who's left to love you now."

An unseen smirk and a flash of shunpo and the elder man left to join his front line army.

"The question is, _Ginyanote_, where do you now stand in my favour?"


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM!

Warnings: Yaoi. Angst, emo-ness, a general emotional pit of despair. Depressing themes. This is considered a 'dark-fic' by most of my readers. Please keep that in mind. Slight OOC-ness on Gin's behalf.

Notes: Whoa. Ok. Chapter 11. Yay. Sorry for the lack of quick updates. My desktop computer bit the big one virus-wise and I've had to resort to the laptop. It's a wonderful, brand new machine, but the keyboard's a low profile one and I have long, manicured fingernails. They're a hindrance because they slip and hit other buttons. -screams- This fic's only got like one more chapter to go and after much consideration and feedback, I'm trying hard to get it out as quickly as possible to finish this bad boy off.

P.S. I love you all.

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Though he had lain on the floor for more hours than he could consciously remember, and his mind was a blank ever since traveling to Soul Society and passing out during his bankai, Byakuya gritted his teeth and pushed himself to his feet, his vision returning after a brief moment of nausea. To his left lay Renji, the redhead's kimono soaked with blood along his right hand side, no doubt from the kick Ulquiorra had given to him earlier, though Byakuya was ignorant to the fact.

He grimaced as he stepped to the broken swordsman and crouched over his chilled but living form, not sad by any means because a fighter struck down in battle was noble, especially to the younger shinigami, who after serving in the eleventh division, actually believed those words. Shuffling behind him caught Byakuya's attention and he turned slowly to see the silver haired third squad captain watching them, the blank stare on his face more frightening than any the nobleman had seen before.

"You were left alive by Aizen, Kuchiki-san." He cast his eyes downwards and squeezed his fist a little bit tighter, Kira's adjutant badge held tightly within. "Neither of you would have been safe, had he not stepped in."

The dark haired captain glared slightly at the younger man and shuffled back up to his feet, carrying Renji with him, holding the fukutaichou against his chest protectively.

"Whose side are you on, Ichimaru? No more games."

To the Hueco Mundo resident, the sixth division captain was hardly injured anymore, his rapid healing due to being a high energized shinigami aiding his recovery, the bloodied bandages on his arms falling slightly, showing pink, healthy skin underneath. He shook the wrappings off and shifted Renji into his arms, scooping him up and turning away from the other when he failed to get a response from him.

"Kuchiki-san. Wait."

The strength of Gin's reiatsu was waning and Byakuya could feel it, knowing that the younger shinigami wasn't ill, at least not physically. Something seemed to indicate to him that the forever smiling captain was suffering mentally, a breakdown that threatened to consume him.

"What do you want, Ichimaru? I've got no patience for you right now. I've got to get Renji back to Soul Society before Aizen comes back for us."

Ichimaru's voice had a desperate tone that tugged at the cold but inwardly caring captain's heart and he turned to face him a second time, angry at the man's betrayal and subsequent exodus into the hollow world.

"Take me with you. There's nothing left here for me to stay for."

He opened his hand and showed the Kuchiki heir the crumpled badge, his hand trembling.

"Not even my darling Izuru..."

-----------------------------

When Ulquiorra returned to the throne room, after cleaning up Grimmjow's broken corpse and disposing it in the lower caverns below the palace, he stared at the empty space, immediately turning on his heel and running for the main gates, not calling out until he saw the brunet leader standing astride his great army.

Besides mention of the shinigami escaping, he had to mention to the elder man about the odd box in the caverns, a large crate that had been sealed with ofuda and spirit energy. he declined to say anything once apprehending the other though, deeming the information unnecessary during such a hectic time.

"Aizen-sama! The captives! They're gone!"

Normally calm brown eyes flared with anger and Sousuke growled as he shoved the Espada on either side of himself aside.  
"Follow me, Ulquiorra."

"Aizen-sama?"

"It's Gin. He's helping them."

The small arrancar stared again before hopping into action, trailing at the lord's heels as they headed for the inner sanctum, bypassing the throne room itself and following the corridor instead, the scent of decay and blood giving them a good idea where the trio had disappeared to. From the outside of the grand building came shouts of battle, various screams and hollers preceding the gurgling, bloody roars of broken bodies as they were cut down like timber.

The former fifth squad captain smiled as he turned the final corner before the corridor ended, the smile immediately fading as he saw the double doors at the end, both of them swung open to the darkness of the Hueco Mundo daytime. The ground was marked by their footprints, showing that they had gone around the outer gate.  
Aizen left his little subordinate where he stood and flash stepped to where the shinigami were arriving, drawing his zanpakutou and blinding them with its shikai, seventeen of them falling to their knees as images of their loved ones bloodied and bruised showed before their eyes. Smirking, the man passed them and caught sight of his fleeing captives, again taking to the fast movements to make it to the tear that lead to Soul Society.

Unmasking his reiatsu, he watched as Byakuya and Gin stopped in their tracks, the short haired captain carrying his comrades' zanpakutou while the noble Kuchiki heir cradled his lover's prone but living form, both of them looking back, Byakuya with hatred in his eyes, Gin with fear, a small twitch making him look past the elder man at the palace, feeling something that set his nerves on edge.

"Is this what it's come down to, Gin? You'll betray me for your sickly whore? Do you know what lies in wait for you in Soul Society?" He smirked and then immediately dropped the tiny smile, his face offering only sourness. "Death."

From his right hand side, the silver haired shinigami could see arrancar troops approaching and he turned away from his former captain hesitantly.  
"They won't kill me if I return of my own free will, Sousuke. Not even Kuchiki-san hates me that much and I've done so much for him to loathe me for..."

Byakuya moved ahead again, shouldering past his Soul Society comrades and hurried through the wide opening, not even looking back at Ichimaru, his goal finished now that he had Renji in his arms and was safely returning to his home.

Aizen moved ahead to snatch his lover's sleeve but wasn't fast enough, ending up with air in his hand as the younger man dodged and started to run towards the tear. Startlingly enough, the Espada leader didn't follow. He simply stood amongst the fallen shinigami and gathering arrancar.

"They won't love you, Ginyanote!"

He silenced himself as Ulquiorra caught up to him, standing at attention behind him with his head bowed, his chest heaving somewhat from the effort it had taken to travel the long distance, not to mention that he had stopped to battle his share of shinigami as they had come up to him, his cloak spattered with blood.

"Report, Ulquiorra."

The boy lifted his head and leveled his emerald stare on the proud leader.  
"The shinigami have been subdued for the time being, but more are arriving by the minute. It seems the Gotei 13 have gathered the entirety of Seireitei."

Aizen gritted his teeth, not outnumbered and not beaten by any means, but his plans had certainly come to a standstill. Without Ichimaru, his army was short a very important element.

"Ichimaru is gone, Ulquiorra. Tell the Espada and take the offense next to Yammi and Wonderwyce."

The boy's curious look and hesitation to move angered the elder man but he tolerated it for the moment.  
"I'm going back inside. I'm certain that this situation will correct itself."

"Hai, Aizen-sama."

The little arrancar hurried off, drawing his zanpakutou and taking his place beside the other short Espada, the little blond turning to smile at him before toying with the ribbon that trailed from his own sword's hilt.

"S'kinda fun, ne Ulquiorra-kun?"

"...I suppose so."

---------------------------------

Because time moved much more slowly in Hueco Mundo, only moments had gone by while scant hours had passed in Soul Society, the sun again rising as Seireitei woke to a new day, its residents very few in number due to the amount of shinigami being deployed to the hollow world. It made it very easy for Ukitake to maneuver his way back to the Soukyou grounds and hide himself as he made plans to return to his lover.

It was nearly impossible due to the amount of bodies hovering in and around the artificially created tear in the sky and sadly, he hunkered down in the dense tree-lined battleground, biding his time for the moment. Not even his beloved third seats had come to see what had become of him, their combined reiatsu missing as the long haired captain assumed them to be with their peers in the other world, fighting to return order he had undoubtedly aided in destroying.

He had waited barely an hour before the line of shinigami returning from Hueco Mundo diminished and he made his move, running as fast as he could muster, ignoring the sharp, constant pain in his side before deciding upon his shunpo. He had only taken two steps with it before he reappeared in plain sight, unseen by anyone, other than the staring forms he had stopped for.

It was Gin who stared the most noticeably, his eyes open for a change, red orbs gazing upon the man he still loved and had so eagerly betrayed because of Aizen's influence. Byakuya however, seemed nonplussed by the elder man's arrival and simply shifted Renji to his feet and gave him a little shake, the redhead having moaned continuously on the short trip about nothing in particular. What mattered to the Kuchiki heir, was that his lover had regained consciousness.

Ukitake hesitated to approach the younger shinigami but did finally move after a brief moment of doubt, setting a deep gaze upon the other, his mouth drawn into a tight line.

"I was coming back to you, Gin. Regardless of Aizen's hatred for me."

The third squad taichou blinked and chuckled softly, losing most of his apprehension as if it had never existed in the first place.

"Maa, we were on our way home, Jyuu-kun. Kuchiki-san and Abarai-kun need to rest and I was sorta tired of being with Sousuke..."

His words were believable for the most part but the last little bit worried the white haired captain.  
"Did you leave him, Gin? Will be come for you?"

Ichimaru nodded to the first question and shook his head for the second. "He's probably gonna stay to guard the palace as the others arrive. There were so many of them already cut down by the Espada though. It won't take long before someone crumbles."

It was then that the elder man noticed that Gin's cargo was less than what he should have had with him, two swords in his hands, along with his own zanpakutou which hung at his side, and a worn looking adjutant badge held tightly in his left hand.

"Gin, where is Kira-kun? You haven't left him behind, have you? He's not safe with Aizen!"

A look of sadness crossed the fox-like shinigami's face and Ukitake realized his mistake immediately, silencing himself and taking the other male by the hand. The swords lay on the ground and after turning to Byakuya and getting only a scowl in return, he started off towards the tear, dragging the somewhat unwilling Ichimaru behind him.

"A...ano, Jyuushiro? What're you doing? I'm not going back there!"

"You are, but you're going with me by your side, Gin. If Aizen has done to Kira-kun what your sad eyes tell me he has, there's nothing to stop me from confronting him." He coughed lightly and wiped his hand with the back of his sleeves, smearing the haori's material a deep crimson. "Even if it frightens me to see his face again."

"But Jyuu-kun..."

He wouldn't take no for an answer. Hefting the smaller man into the wide vortex, he jumped in after him, taking advantage while the coast was clear of both enemies and fellow shinigami, knowing that at the moment, both sides would be hunting for the two of them, effectively leaving the other two shinigami on their own.

-------------------------------

They had purposely lain in wait, to see what the escaping thirteenth division captain would do, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto finally making themselves seen as the light haired pair disappeared through the portal, he to Byakuya's side and she to Renji's. In his pained state, the normally rough fukutaichou only groaned as the woman wound her arm around his waist and held across his chest with the other, keeping him upright until she was told to do otherwise.

The child prodigy however, stood at odds with the towering nobleman.

"Why did you let them escape, Kuchiki-taichou? Ichimaru is a wanted criminal and Ukitake broke out of his cell late last night." He closed his eyes slightly, a glaring look the elder man was hardly ready to tolerate. "They'll go back to Aizen and cause even more dam-"

"They won't."

The boy blinked. "What do you mean, they won't? They're on his side! Even Ukitake is a traitor!"

Byakuya shook his head and went to aid Matsumoto with his groaning lover, wanting to get him to the fourth division headquarters to be looked at, the wounds on his wrists and forearms looking worse than they had less than a few minutes before.  
"Ichimaru has defected. Ukitake is loyal to him and him alone. He'll never go with Aizen's wishes because of what happened between them in the past. He'll never forgive him."

Toushiro knew what the elder man referred to, the death of the thirteenth squad's vice captain still fresh in his mind and no doubt still lingering in Ukitake's consciousness even more often.

"Aa. It's still no excuse for allowing Ichimaru to escape. He's dangerous, Kuchiki-san."

"So are the wounds Renji has suffered. I'm taking him to see Unohana and I'm hoping you won't interfere. I'm not your enemy, Hitsugaya."

The young shinigami sighed and nodded his understanding, waving his endowed comrade from the two and watching as she reluctantly gave the redhead over to his captain, giving a curt nod to something Byakuya said to her and moving to her own taichou's side as they disappeared, the sixth division captain's shunpo impressive, even in his tired and distraught state.

"Hitsugaya-taichou?"

"We're going to wait here for them to return, Matsumoto."

"But, Taichou! We're able to get them ourselves! Why can't we go and at least be useful to the others?"

He sighed again, upset that the decision had come down to this, his mind telling him to go after the light haired pair so he could follow them to Aizen, but his heart telling him to believe in the nobleman's words, to trust in the silver haired man he had loathed for so long. Not even his occasional chat with the thirteenth squad leader made him think of Ukitake as a friend, but as comrades went, he still had a hard time believing that the elder man was a traitor.

-------------------------

The moment Ukitake arrived back in Hueco Mundo, he felt that something was off.

They were able to pass through the gate without trouble and even made it to the palace without any confrontation, though the shinigami standing around were in battle stances. Each one had a grim look on their face, one that closely resembled the look on Hinamori's face the day she had found her beloved captain impaled upon a Seireitei building wall. It was no doubt the work of Aizen's zanpakutou.

Beside him, Gin stepped aimlessly through the inner corridor, obviously not wanting to be where he was, his reiatsu leaking immensely, giving off hints of fear along with its turbulent waves of power. To the elder shinigami, it stank of fright. He was unsure if he had ever seen the younger swordsman in such an horrid state. The hold on his right arm was no weak sign either. If Gin wasn't careful, he'd bruise the other's tender skin.

"Jyuushiro..." His first name used by Ichimaru only when the younger man was upset. "I don't wanna be here. Sousuke's mad at me and he let me go for a reason! We're only gonna be making him madder by coming back!"

Ukitake wrenched his arm from the other's hold once letting go of his hand and turned to stare him down, again coughing lightly into his sleeve and ignoring the mark it left, his light attacks coming more frequently the more his body was agitated.  
"Can't you feel it, Gin? This reiatsu that doesn't match Aizen's, nor any of his Espada or arrancar?"

He blinked. "...no. What's it from? A hollow?"

He took Ichimaru's hand and started to drag him again, ignoring the irritating pleas and whispered fears that made it to his ears. Gin couldn't be that blinded by his grief could he?

"No, it's not a hollow's energy. I'm surprised you don't notice it. It's subtle, but it's there. Unmistakably there."

His descriptions and subtleties were lost on the absolute frightened third captain, his fear of the powerful Espada leader never having been so strong, more so now that he knew what sort of terrible man Aizen could actually be.  
In his pocket where he had tucked it, he tugged out his toy's badge again, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger as if using it as a protection charm, turning his head each time the elder shinigami looked at him disapprovingly.

"He wouldn't want you worrying over him, Gin."

"He's mine to worry over, Jyuushiro. Even if he is gone. I can worry all I want. Besides, he's not here to make me feel bad about it."

The man's words struck Ukitake with something akin to acceptance, blind faith obviously not leading him if he thought the boy was actually gone. No, Ichimaru didn't think Kira was dead. He knew it. Aizen wasn't the type of man to say he had done something if he hadn't.

-------------------------------

In his private rooms, the doors locked and the lights dimmed, Aizen Sousuke smiled, his closet doors thrown open and his lean form resting back on the firm bed he had once shared with Ichimaru. He was hardly in the mood for relaxation but felt the need to enjoy and appreciate the sight before him nonetheless, his eyes half lidded and opening slightly further as he chuckled softly. To the supposedly dead Kira Izuru, the man looked absolutely demonic in his joy.

"You'll tire yourself out too much by struggling, little one. How would it feel to be eaten alive by those creatures?"

To amuse himself and to keep the blond fukutaichou's reiatsu at a minimum, he had set upon him a collection of creatures he had created himself in the past, something similar to Zaraki Kenpachi's spirit energy eating monster that he wore behind his eye patch.  
They gnawed painlessly on the boy's lower legs, sucking the life out of his toes, ankles and calves. He squirmed as one latched onto the soft skin at the back of his knee and lowered his head as a blush crept over the bridge of his nose.

"What have we here? Is this harsh treatment something you enjoy, Kira-kun? Has Gin been so hard on you that even being punished and tormented is arousing?"

He laughed out loud, the palace thankfully empty of prying ears, moving to stand and approaching the wide closet, one hand cupping the boy's chin while the other gently grazed his cheek in a somewhat loving caress. The boy couldn't begin to think of an attack strategy due to his weakened state and beside that, Aizen had taken his zanpakutou from him long ago.

"He thinks you're dead, Kira-kun. I gave him your badge and told him how pathetically you had died. He'll never come back now."

One of the creatures hissed threateningly and suckled harder at the boy's left ankle, earning a groan from the defiantly staring Izuru. Aizen hadn't missed the animals display and looked the boy in the eye, noticing the glare he had put on and aware of the spike in reiatsu the fukutaichou had emitted.

"You don't like when I talk badly of him? He's a pawn, like you are. Nothing I can't easily replace."

The blond was left again then, given three more binding arts to permanently seal him in the dark space until Aizen returned again, the boy's reiatsu almost nil again, to the point of nothing, unless someone was looking for it specifically. The fifth captain was sure of it, unless the boy continued to spike as he had just done.  
It was an anomaly he wasn't sure he favoured, especially considering the work he would have to go to, to keep him under wraps. Tousen had been easy to work with. His body folded without question. The same way it had folded into the large crate Ulquiorra had mistakenly found in the caverns.

If good fortune was on his side, the shinigami would be wiped out and his army could attempt a mass exodus into Soul Society to carry out the last part of his plan. He settled into the high back chair in the corner of the bedroom and rested his chin on his uplifted hands, frowning and cocking an eyebrow at the stench of fear that wafted into his room, unheard of in Hueco Mundo due to fear being unneeded and discouraged amongst his followers.

He got to his feet and opened the double doors, looking out into the sitting room, catching sight of a pair of men standing on the soft, silken carpet, Ichimaru's lounging pillows tossed aside to give them room. The brunet frowned more deeply and moved into the pale light that shone in through the high windows, not needing even that little bit to see who his visitors were. The silver sheen and fear coated reiatsu belonging to his lover and the red and white energy of the sickly captain mingling in with it.

"Have you come to watch my army invade Soul Society from the good side of the fence?" He asked them both. "Or is there something else you wish to discuss with me?"

Gin made as if to speak and Ukitake silenced him with a hand on his shoulder, stepping up a few inches to demand the defector's attention, knowing that what he had to say would come as a complete shock to the younger, now more easily upset shinigami.

"We're here for the boy, Aizen. Give him to us. I know he's still alive."

The Espada leader snorted and started to laugh. "You've got some nerve, Ukitake. Hasn't Gin told you? I've disposed of him already."

Ichimaru shuddered as the words fell from his lover's mouth again, his hands trembling as he again started to stroke the leather patch, willing himself to either pass out or wake from this terrifying nightmare, hardly even hearing Ukitake as he spoke words that suggested Kira may still live.

"I can sense his reiatsu, Aizen. Don't be a fool."

The flare from the former fifth taichou sent both men back a foot, Ichimaru crying out as if he had been struck and Jyuushiro standing his ground with a dark look. The betrayer advanced on them, not drawing his zanpakutou but holding his hand out to use his kidou, dashing for Gin first and gaining a holler from Ukitake telling the younger shinigami to dodge, the call falling on deaf ears as the silver haired captain stayed where he was.

"Gin, move! He'll kill you!"

Aizen was silent in his attack, so focused on his lover's face that he was blind to the slight movement below his line of sight, Ichimaru's whispered words almost reaching his ears too late as he suddenly, desperately, willed himself to shift off to the side.

"...ikorose, Shinsou..."


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: See above. -laughs-

Warnings: Angst, death, shonen ai, ooc Gin, but purposefully so.

Notes: It's almost finished! Goodness, these guys have come a long way. I'm working hard for my dear readers and hopefully, this second to last installment will please you guys. Also, I'd like to thank all the readers and reviewers who took me back into their hearts after revealing that Kira was in fact, alive. Those few grueling weeks out of your favour was killing me. -laughs- But then again, it really made you all think, ne?

------------------------

Aizen was silent in his attack, so focused on his lover's face that he was blind to the slight movement below his line of sight, Ichimaru's whispered words almost reaching his ears too late as he suddenly, desperately willed himself to shift off to the side.

"...ikorose, Shinsou..."

------------------------

Izuru's adjutant badge fell from Gin's hands as he spoke, Aizen's body a wide, white target for the divine spear, the man's outer jacket sliced neatly through the side as Shinsou hit its mark. He grunted sharply and immediately backed off, clutching his side as the pale garment began to soak through with blood, his kidou fading from around his hand.

The former third captain's forward movement nearly carried him into his lover but he counterbalanced at the last moment, shifting back into a defensive stance, Shinsou held out with his right hand while the left draped over his wrist. His eyes were open, showing his murderous intent, never leaving the elder man's face. Not even to enjoy his own handiwork. Weakly, he spoke again, his words barely a whisper, unable to cry over what he was hearing but certain that it was a truly sad situation.

"Is it true what Jyuushiro's saying, Sousuke? Is Izuru alive?"

Though pained, Aizen smiled and held his hand out, receiving a light gasp and a stiffened jerk from the younger shinigami in return, Ichimaru's wariness obviously showing through. He pulled his hand back and straightened himself up, grimacing as the wound burned in his side.

"You'd believe their word over mine, Gin? I've never lied to you in the past. What would I gain from doing it now?"

The red eyed captain's stare wavered and he lowered his sword a fraction of an inch, a sign of weakness he would always carry for the former fifth captain. Ukitake's light cough broke the unbearable silence, his cloth tucked neatly away again as he reclaimed his place beside the frightened traitor, placing a hand on Ichimaru's arm to settle him a little bit.

"Calm, Gin. He's alive. I can feel his rei-"

"He's not, Jyuu! I can't sense him! More than anyone else's, I could always sense Izuru's reiatsu!"

He was angry with Gin now, Ukitake's patience running short for the first time in countless years, a grunt of irritation passing his lips as he left the silver haired shinigami to do as he wished, whisking past Aizen, holding on to the notion that he would stay with Gin and not interfere.

A sharp blast of kidou was aimed directly upon him but he managed to dodge it, hearing the crackle of energy as it destroyed the wall it had struck. He heard Gin's cry of alarm again and a holler of attack, another ball of energy released and resounding with a defiant thud that shook the palace's very foundation.

The ill taichou was confident of his lover's ability to fight Aizen, but he was more worried about the younger man's mental state, should he never see his vice captain again, the spirit energy growing stronger as he neared the Espada leader's chambers. It was odd to the white haired captain, how each time he heard Gin cry out from the other room, Kira's reiatsu flared for a second, as if the boy could hear him and was upset by the sound.

There were no guards at the man's door, obviously because they were either dead or outside fighting off the shinigami invasion, giving him ample time to check out the surrounding area, the feeling gaining strength just as he entered Aizen's bedroom. His eyes went wide as the noticeable energy from the young fukutaichou poured from the double doored closet, along with the telltale emanations of a high level binding art.

He threw the doors open and gasped out loud, turning to cough so quickly he couldn't bring his cloth or sleeve up to cover it, blood splashing to the tatami mat. He turned to look again and immediately dispelled the bind, holding his arms out as the young Kira fell into them, his eyes half lidded and his breath coming in great gasps.

"Kira-kun!" The elder man exclaimed.

The boy could only smile weakly and then suddenly, he shifted out of the other's grasp and stood on shaky legs, looking around frantically for something, Ukitake's powers of deduction figuring it out immediately.

"Wabisuke? Where'd he put you?" He turned to the thirteenth captain with a panicked look on his face, the look fading as Ukitake held out his own zanpakutou. "Ukitake-taichou?"

"Take Sōgyo no Kotowari. He will not show you his initial or final releases however. Though I doubt your ability to summon bankai, he won't allow either to happen regardless."

The boy didn't even smile but he nodded his thanks as he moved anyway, hurrying past the elder man but followed by him at a distance, a scowl on his face each time he heard his captain call out, whether it be from fright or during an attack, he didn't know. It was hard to wade through the dense clouds of shimmering reiatsu as he approached the pair from behind, Aizen's angry and threatening while Gin's was scared and defiant.

Ukitake stood in the doorway just as Kira was pacing in behind Aizen, catching the man's attention for a brief second as Gin attacked again, the movement dodged and then countered. Gin was deft with his maneuvers and missed the attack easily, coming back down with a light thump and a grunt of exertion. Aizen only smiled at him and looked over his shoulder, smirking at the elder shinigami.

"You were unable to find him, Ukitake? I'm not surprised. It's because he's truly dead and gone. When will you realize it without having to question my authority?"

"You have no authority, Aizen. Not here, not in Soul Society, not even in your own private chambers."

The brunet balked for a moment, giving the other man a curious look, leaving his face to peer at Gin's, the relief and utter happiness as the short haired captain stared over Aizen's shoulder obvious on his face. He couldn't understand what would make his upset lover so indescribably happy until he heard him holler again.

"Izuru!"

----------------------

At the fourth division headquarters, Unohana and Isane had taken up the care of Byakuya and Renji, staying behind as their squad headed to the front lines to aid in the attack on Hueco Mundo. The beautiful captain clucking her tongue over the nobleman's injuries and sighing as she helped her fukutaichou with the other's, noticing that while their healing techniques did indeed save him, Renji's burns were not common and were therefore the subject on controversy.

"Kuchiki-taichou? Could you tell me how Abarai-fukutaichou gained such unsightly injuries?"

The dark haired shinigami groaned and opened his eyes, resting for the simple reason that he was tired, not wanting to move as the other medics worked on his young lover.

"Aizen cast something on him. If he left Hueco Mundo, he would suffer ten times worse. The burns would flare up and consume him."

She nodded gently, her right hand lifting to smooth the hairs back from his brow, a smile on her serene face.

"He'll be fine. He needs his rest now, as do you. Isane will remain here to protect you while you sleep."

He closed his eyes and sighed softly, knowing that regardless of their bumps and bruises, more hurting was going on in Hueco Mundo than either of them could even fathom.

----------------------

The blond ignored his captain's cry and headed straight for Aizen's back, bringing the Sōgyo up from below, intent on stabbing him right through. He was silent and though Aizen was baffled by the sudden reiatsu he felt, he turned quickly and while aiming a well timed kidou at the boy, was impaled from behind by an angered Gin, the sight of his lover striking out at his toy too much for him to witness.

Kira rolled and was caught along the back by the powerful force, the energy burning his kimono and searing his skin, a harsh wail ripped from him. He was thankfully alive and Ukitake was immediately by his side, cradling him in his arms, mindful of the nasty burns and gently tucking his zanpakutou back into its sheath. Izuru turned frightened eyes on Gin, worried for his life now that Aizen was angry and he was in such close proximity to him.

"Ichimaru-taichou!"

He stared as the short haired captain turned to look back at him, the smile still there as he peeled himself from the heaving, gasping form of his elder lover, letting the stiff body fall to the floor. Shinsou hung bloody from his hand before he tossed it aside and kneeled beside the downed blond, taking him into his arms and nearly pushing Ukitake over in his haste. He was ignorant now of the danger Aizen posed, the coughing and groans coming from him hardly noticed by the broken third division captain.

Ukitake was levelheaded enough to watch the other man for an attack, standing between Gin and the stricken leader, watching the once bespectacled captain writhe.

"Does it...please you to...see me like this, Ukitake?" He asked, coughing up a great gout of blood, an amount unheard of to even the sick thirteenth division captain. "I suppose it's all come...full circle now. Your beloved fukutaichou can finally rest."

The long haired shinigami stared, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Are you justifying your death because of what happened to Kaien? You brought this on yourself by toying with Gin's emotions, Aizen. He's emotionally fragile now, thanks to your tampering. Look at him for God's sake!"

He glanced over to his cuddly lover and smiled, rolling onto his back and coughing again, the red fluid now dribbling down his cheek as it bubbled from his lips, staining his collar and soaking into his hair at the nape of his neck. From the hallway came loud cries and shouts, two arrancar running inside because they had been driven back by the shinigami invaders and an unseen attack that had been destroying their kind.

"Aizen-sama! Aizen-sama! Something new is wrong!" They called out in unison.

The dying captain turned to see them and watched, slightly horrified as their bodies started to burn, their extremities turning into ash and falling to the floor amidst their screams of pain. He chuckled and sighed as his vision began to darken, unable to see Ukitake's face now as he looked around.

"They can't exist without me, Ukitake. They've got no reiatsu of their own. They survive on mine..."

The bodies were no more than piles of grey soot now and viciously, the thirteenth captain kicked them around on the tiled floor, dirtying his tabi and haori but not minding in the least. He spared a glance to the fallen Espada leader and withdrew his zanpakutou, stepping close enough to look down his nose at him and without remorse, stabbed him through the throat, the man's reiatsu finally fading completely.

The moment the defector's energy disappeared, Ichimaru turned around to look, his eyes slightly red from crying, or watering because he didn't cry, as he had told Ukitake in the past. Kira was safely snuggled in his arms and looked to be asleep, his eyes opening as the elder man hefted himself to his feet and walked over, carrying him against his chest.

"Is he...dead, Jyuu? I mean...is he really?"

The elder shinigami nodded.

"Can we go home now?"

The simple question bothered Ukitake on a dangerous level but he fought to ignore it as he walked toward the corridor, passing pile after pile of burned ashes, giving him a clear image of just how many arrancar had been on their way back inside just before their leader perished, the front line by the gates littered with dead Espada, the creatures obviously better established and unable to simply disappear once they had died. He looked down longingly at the lifeless form of Aizen's beloved green eyed Espada, Ulquiorra's hand still holding his zanpakutou as if he had been struck down while fighting bravely.

The few shinigami who remained in the dark place waved at them, calling them over once realizing that the approaching men were their own, oddly enough, none of them saying anything about Ichimaru or his blond bundle. To his left, Ukitake saw the ninth division's fukutaichou running over, smiling slightly as the man stepped up and bowed politely, his arms covered in blood and two nasty gashes bisecting his torso where his top had been cut away.

He spoke to the eldest of them on purpose, wary of the third division captain and realizing quickly that something was wrong with him, the way he cuddled the other vice captain and ignored everything around himself.

"Ukitake-taichou! I'm glad to see that you're all right. The horde seems to be subdued for now. I'm asking that you willingly come back with us."

"Of course, Hisagi-fukutaichou. I've got no problem with that. We're ready."

"Where exactly is Aizen? Did you defeat him?"

The little shiver that ran through his young lover wasn't lost on Ukitake, his polite smile fading as he regarded Shuuhei.

"He's dead. I confirmed it myself."

---------------------------

They were met by the entirety of the tenth squad, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto greeting them and taking down everything Ukitake had to tell them. Though uninjured, they were escorted to the fourth division headquarters anyway to make sure that everything was as it should be. There were again no questions about Ichimaru's reappearance and thankfully, no commotion until they finally reached the aid station.

"Kira!" Came a cry from the end of the hall. "Oi, Kira!"

Ukitake waved a hand and silenced the bandaged but walking around fukutaichou, taking him aside to tell him about what had happened.

"He was injured while confronting Aizen, Abarai-kun. He needs medical help for the time being. Please be more considerate."

"Ah, hai. Sorry, Ukitake-taichou. I'm just excited to see him is all."

Byakuya came to take his subordinate back into their room again and nodded to his fellow captain, not bothering with words. There would always be a hostility between them concerning Ukitake's traitorous attitude but because he had brought back the other two shinigami safely, he couldn't find it in himself to truly hate him.

There had never been guards posted at the door to the sixth division members' room but for the third division's, there were four strong eleventh squad members stationed outside, each of them nodding to Renji as he asked permission to go inside.

Once in, he sighed and glared softly at the silver haired captain, the man's back to him as he lay curled on his side, his right arm draped over Izuru's waist while the left was tucked under his chin. He looked pleasantly content to sleep forever while the blond was awake, smoky eyes regarding his friend with quiet recognizance. He held a finger to his lips to keep the redhead silent and motioned for him to come closer.

"He's not well, Renji-kun. Unohana-taichou said he needs rest but I think it's something more."

The pony-tailed vice captain sat beside the bed and rested his head in his hands, looking from the boy's face to the serenely sleeping face of the dangerous captain.

"Like, he's broken inside or what? Is it somethin' Aizen did to him?"

"I think he killed Aizen-taichou, Renji-kun. I wasn't awake for it because he attacked me after I tried to hurt him, but I'm pretty sure I heard Ukitake-taichou tell Unohana-taichou that he did." He swallowed and gave a light, pained sigh. "He killed the man he loved because he wanted to save me, Renji-kun. I can't believe he'd do that..."

"He obviously cares for ya, Kira."

"I know he does. But...I can't help but think that he's going to be hard to live with from now on. Regardless of how badly I wanted him back home."

The larger male gave him a disappointed look and sat back again, crossing his feet at the ankles with a sigh.

"If it gets bad, if he's even allowed outta here, come to me, all right? I can at least take care of ya until he's better. Byakuya'll be okay with it."

The blond tried to smile and a tear slithered down his cheek, nodding as he took in his best friend's words.

"Thank you, Renji-kun. That- He sniffed out loud, causing Ichimaru to move, his graceful form shifting over so he could nuzzle under the boy's chin. -means a lot to me."

-----------------------

"He has to go, Ukitake. He can't be allowed to stay a captain as long as he defected and betrayed us. The very idea of it is ridiculous!"

In the gardens outside of the division headquarters, Ukitake sat with Hitsugaya and Byakuya, an argument ensuing after the suggestion that Ichimaru would be allowed to return to his place as captain without any undue circumstances. To the child prodigy, the idea was absurd. To Byakuya, it was foolish but not wholly unbelievable. After all, the eldest captain had seen what Aizen could do and had probably done, to the poor taichou.

"He wasn't brainwashed, Hitsugaya-kun, but he _was _led to believe that what Aizen had told him was correct."

"It's not even that, Ukitake." Byakuya piped in. "It's his mental state that worries Unohana. She thinks he may have been so dependent on Aizen that he can't live without him now. He may have killed him out of love for his fukutaichou, but in reality, he snapped the strings that have carried him ever since he became part of the Gotei 13."

The long haired taichou sighed and rubbed his eyes, getting to his feet so he could go back inside to check on the others.

"What happened with Genryuusai-dono, Hitsugaya-kun? Did they have a burial and memorial for him?"

The smallest captain got up as well and jumped up to the wall separating his own division building from the garden and barely turned back to speak, sticking with his decision to argue against Ichimaru's reinstatement.

"There wasn't anything left of him to bury, Ukitake. Even the husk was gone when we went to do the arrangements an hour later. You should feel some semblance of guilt for what happened though. The memorial was attended by those in Seireitei who weren't in Hueco Mundo trying to fix your mistake."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: See above. -laughs-

Warnings: Shonen-ai, ooc-ness on Ichimaru's part, but it's intentional, I assure you. Angst, drama.

Notes: This is the last chapter. I've played with these boys for long enough. I'm eternally grateful to all of you who supported me throughout this ordeal with reviews and kind messages. I know it's been a long time coming, but it's finally finished and it's kinda short. I don't like drawn out final chapters for any of my fics. Keep in mind that I will continue to write about these particular characters, especially those of Gin and Aizen. My next fic entitled 'Breaking In The Reins' will be an Aizen/Gin based one, set during Gin's time as Aizen's fukutaichou. Keep an eye out for it. It will hopefully be posted sometime before the New Year, or shortly thereafter.

---------------------------

Three days had passed since the rescue team and their charge had returned, a grueling seventy-two hours that had consisted of thorough questions and dredged up memories. Byakuya and Renji were useful for most of the story but were utterly useless for the rest, having been down for the count for most of their stay in the hollow world. Ukitake, wide awake and lucid enough to remember everything during his stay, had given the captain's council enough worthy information to successfully exempt himself from punishment for his supposed crimes.

Because of this, Hitsugaya, loyal to his very core, had stormed out of the meeting hall, ignorant to the newly appointed shobantai-taichou Sasakibe Chojiro's orders for him to stay. The foil wielding shinigami sighed and waved him off as he finished the lecture and dismissed the remaining captains.

It had been easy enough to seal the hole created by Aizen and to destroy the device Mayuri had invented to gain access to the dark netherworld. As it was, the modified shinigami almost cried as it was incinerated, somewhat mollified by the fact that if he so chose, he could create another one. But then again, he thought, why would anyone want to bother with a forever shadowed world that provided little to no stimulation to the senses?

---------------------------

On the eve of the third day, Ukitake made a trip to the third division headquarters to visit Gin and Kira, finding only the silver haired taichou in the office, lounging on his divan as he had so often done in the past. The slim form, seemingly so much thinner than the last time he had seen him, rolled over and a tired set of red eyes peered up at him, his cheek slightly pink from where it had lain against the back of his curled hand.

"Ohayo, Jyuu-kun. How's things?"

The elder man sat down and gently, without words, took the smaller swordsman into his arms and clung to him, holding him tightly against his chest, feeling the lifelessness in the man's bones and the vague shift of his breathing. There was no doubt he was wasting away. The amount of food he ate wasn't the case, as Ukitake had seen the empty plates in the adjoining room. He was withering like a balloon that was slowly losing its supporting helium. Drifting back down to earth without a notion of how dangerous his impact with the ground was going to be.

"Please, Gin. Let him go. I can't stand to see you like this." He whispered softly. "I don't want to lose you to such an insignificant circumstance."

The tiny whimper Ichimaru gave tugged at the other's heart and Ukitake held him tighter, rocking gently until he turned his head to watch the door, feeling the blond fukutaichou's reiatsu as he approached from the hallway. Apparently Gin felt it too, because he lifted his head and looked over, rewarded by a returned grin from the young shinigami.

"Good evening, Ukitake-taichou. I brought the sweets Ichimaru-taichou had asked for."

"Thank you, Kira-kun. You can bring them here. He's only resting."

The boy nodded and stepped over, handing the tightly wrapped package to the long haired captain, smiling broadly at the tiny smile his own taichou gave him.

"Ano...I've got an early morning tomorrow so if it's all right Ukitake-taichou..."

"Go on, it's all right to go home. I'll watch him for tonight. Just be sure to come in on time tomorrow."

The eager vice captain bowed and went on his way, casting a tiny glance over his shoulder before disappearing into the corridor, his spirit energy fading as he left the main Court. In his arms Gin struggled slightly, wanting to get up but unable to, due to his lover's tight hold.

"Jyuu...can you let me up?"

"Ah, gomen." He let go and sat back to give him room, picking crumbs from the front of the younger man's haori, knowing that even on a good day, Ichimaru was a messy eater.

"Gin?"

A dreamy eyed look was given, one that pained the elder man. "Hmm?"

"Would you like to come with me to see Kaien tomorrow?"

The life returned to Ichimaru's face and he nodded, getting up and stretching a little bit. He turned to look down at his elder lover and reached for the package he held, sniffing the brown paper once it was relinquished.

"Can I take these with me? I want to eat them on the way."

Ukitake smiled and stood as well, wanting to head home and get a good rest, winding an arm around the painfully thin captain, suddenly aware of how childlike he was now that his puppet strings had truly been cut.

"Of course you can. Just be careful not to drop any."

"I won't. Kaien'd get mad if I let that happen..."

------------------------

In the depths of the thick garden centered between the squad houses, watching the leaves rustle above them, the sixth division taichou and fukutaichou sat together, Byakuya's body healed by the fourth squad's skilled hands while Renji remained bandaged, his wounds too severe to be fixed in only a few days. The thick cotton wrappings stood out starkly from the young shinigami's arms, his dark skin against the pale white showing off just how much sun he soaked up in the summertime. Now however, he would no doubt be scarred by the marks Aizen had placed upon him.

Quietly he shuffled in the embrace of his stoic lover, humbled by the memories of what had happened to them.

"Calm yourself, Renji. You're moving as if you're being held against your will."

The redhead grimaced as his pained arms brushed against the other's chest, settling onto his side and resting his head under the nobleman's chin.

"I can't get the images outta my head, Byakuya. ...from what I can remember that is."

Gently, the elder man ran a hand through his lover's hair, the garnet length out of its usual tail as the effort to dress it in the morning was too much for the injured shinigami, earning himself a purr and a light kiss to his neck.

"You don't have to remember anything about it anymore, Renji. Genryuusai-dono has been laid to rest, Aizen is finally gone and though Ichimaru is acting strange, things are going to return to normal soon enough."

The boy snorted and blew upwards to dislodge a stray hair from his forehead. "Ichimaru can be as odd as he wants to be. Long as he doesn't hurt Kira."

Byakuya sighed, sitting up a little more and pushing the young fukutaichou off, irritated by his constant worrying over the blond shinigami. He would have liked to be rid of the third division vice captain but because of his devotion to duty and his love for the pony tailed swordsman, he tolerated it, but only for so long.

"He hardly even speaks to him anymore, Renji. According to Ukitake, Ichimaru is like a child himself now. He speaks quietly and stays away from those who aren't absolutely trusted. His circle of friends has grown smaller since he came back. Only his fukutaichou and Ukitake himself, actually."

The boy blinked, somewhat put out by being shoved off and then hearing how pathetic the snake-like shinigami had become.

"Are you serious?"

A nod, and Zabimaru's master perked up, pumping a fist into the air and immediately wincing afterwards.

"That means he's gonna be nicer to deal with! If he's all fucked up, he won't be the same cold bastard he's always been! Fuck, I wonder how excited Kira is about it all..."

The regal Kuchiki sighed and moved to stand, leaving his happily chuckling lover behind in the soft grass as he made his way back to their squad-house.

"Kira-fukutaichou is devastated, Renji. His lover and mentor is no longer the man he used to be. The boy no longer has a teacher. No all-knowing captain to do everything for and to devote his life to."

"What do you mean? Ichimaru's fuckin' ali-"

"There's no life left in him, Renji. He's a broken toy, much like his saddened vice captain. Aizen's death was far more devastating to him than any of us could have imagined. He's like a child who's lost his favourite parent."

--------------------------

"Naa, Jyuu-kun?"

The white haired captain looked up from his silent prayer and smiled warmly. "Yes, Gin? What is it?"

"Can I say something to Kaien too?"

The elder man blinked and nodded, quickly finishing his few words and stepping back from the memorial stone, giving his lover room to say what he wished. It was odd for Ichimaru to want to say anything, usually sitting quietly while the thirteenth captain did his little rituals and then happily cheered him up afterwards.

Gin shuffled over and kneeled on the cold granite cobbles, bowing his head and losing his everlasting smile, a more somber, dignified visage taking over.

"Ohayo, Kaien-kun. It's Gin. I've just got to tell you that Jyuushiro took care of Sousuke. I know he probably mentioned it to you already but it's big news around here. I'm kinda happy for you, now that your soul can sleep finally. I'm sure you've been wandering around trying to find your way home."

At the mention of this, Ukitake balked somewhat, turning to stare at the broken captain as if he had suddenly burst into flames, or something as equally impossible had happened. How could he know about the visit from Kaien's ghost? Was it just common knowledge about wandering spirits? He wanted to believe that, and not the idea that maybe his beloved vice captain had visited Ichimaru in the past.

"You know, I kinda miss him, Kaien-kun. Yeah, just kinda. He...was my world you know. I followed him because he was so important to me. But he got so angry with me over nothing. Then he threatened my Izuru..."

The clarity with which Ichimaru spoke made Ukitake smile again, the man's slim shoulders straightening as he stood up a bit more, not slumping as much as he had when they had first arrived. To the ill captain, his lover seemed to get more confident as he went along, each subsequent sentence bringing about more of the strong willed, defiant Gin he remembered from so many years before.

"I'm gonna get going now. I think Izuru's coming back from work soon and I wanna be there to welcome him home." He smiled, a broad grin that spoke volumes of his sudden recovery. "I wanna be nicer to him than Sousuke ever was to me."

--------------------------

The change in the third division captain was sudden but not unheard of, his fellow shinigami still wary of him even after he had been reinstated as the leader of his squad, much to the delight of his fukutaichou and remaining subordinates, their time under the tutelage and leadership of Hisagi Shuuhei coming to an abrupt end. As dominant and fair a leader he was, they were devoted to the snake-faced defector and even after the betrayal and return, they agreed to follow him to the end.

Byakuya and Renji, their relationship strained due to the redhead's constant worrying over the blond, stayed together in the end, Renji deciding that had Ichimaru not returned, he would have pursued the young fukutaichou, if only to love him and keep him safe from everything he had been sheltered from in the past.

As it was, the boy was eternally happy again, eager to serve his captain and thrilled to be in his good books again, though he had never truly fallen from them. It was as if everything that had gone on had never happened. He blocked out all memory of his attack on Aizen and his eventual return to Soul Society. When asked about it, he shrugged and changed the subject, causing more arguments between himself and his friends, so much so that the newly appointed permanent shobantai-taichou ordered all mention of the defection and return to be avoided in conversation.

Ukitake meanwhile, went on with his normal routine, still enjoying his part time shinigami duties, as well as Ichimaru's occasional visits. He scolded the young captain and even though he felt bad doing it, he constantly told him to return home, to be in the arms of the boy who had brought him back from the brink of self destruction. On the seventeenth day after his homecoming, he found himself in his squad-house, staring into space with his right hand deep in his inside pocket, as his diligent vice captain worked hard on the backdated reports. He cleared his throat a bit and watched as the blond's head tilted towards him, as if he were listening for an order or a request.

"Izuru?"

The blond snapped to attention and got up from his desk, moving to the silver haired shinigami's side.

"Hai, Ichimaru-taichou?"

"Here."

Kira held his hands out and stared at the leather patch the elder man placed in his open palms, immediately closing his hands and throwing his arms around the man's neck, hugging him tightly. The elder swordsman remembered it from when he had visited the blond in his home, just before taking him back and he smiled as well, winding his arms around the boy's waist and nuzzling his cheek.

The shy vice captain's words were muffled against his captain's shoulder but he was ignorant to it as his bliss blocked everything out, the feel of the other's arms around him causing his knees to shake and his eyes to suddenly tear up.

"Thank you, Ichimaru-taichou. That means so much to me."

Gin tightened his hold and rocked gently, feeling the boy's quakes and little sniffles as the young fukutaichou tried to keep himself from crying openly.

"It means more to me Izuru. More than you'll ever know."


End file.
